What Could Have Been
by Luvya2103
Summary: After the battle of NYC, Clint hasn't been sleeping and Natasha decides to intervene. It changes the dynamic of their relationship and she doesn't know how to handle it. Pre CA:WS, Clintasha, Clint/Natasha, Rating Changed
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Heellllooooo my friends, long time no post, it's been a while since I've updated/posted any stories but ever since the first Avengers movie I've become a big fan of the pairing Clintasha, and have since then endulged in the many fanfics. But, after the tragic outcome of Avengers: Age of Ultron, where my ship was shattered, I have decided to take it upon myself to write my own fanfic about them since it will most likely never happen.

Anyway on with the show! Please R&R!

* * *

He sat up violently, gasping for breath as the violent images plagued his mind. Their faces, the people he was worked with being tortured and killed by his hands.

It had been a month or so since the battle of New York City where the Avengers had taken Loki and his alien army down, since he had been taken control of. And yet, he still felt the guilt for ending the innocent lives he had. He saw their horror-stricken faces as their lives had been ended by someone they considered a friend or ally. Every time he closed his eyes he could see them, every last one of them.

He swung his legs to the side of his bed and raised his shaking hands to wipe the sweat from his face. _Like blood_.

He released a shaky breath before bending down to retrieve his t-shirt that he'd discarded in the night, 'Jarvis, what time is it?'

'It is 3.21 am, sir.'

'Freaking great.' He mumbled to himself as he silently made his way out of his dark room. For the past month now he'd barely gotten three hours sleep each night and it was starting to show its affect on his body, his muscles aching to take a break from the strenuous exercise that he tried to fill the void of pain with.

The large, open living room was silent as the inhabitants slept on through the night. He turned on the light and winced as the light flooded the room, his retinas burning. He rubbed his eyes as he made his way over to the kitchen counter-top and around to the coffee machine. He switched it on before riffling through the cupboards for the coffee and his mug. The machine beeped as he retrieved the milk from the fridge and some pop tarts from Tony's 'secret stash' that he'd tried to hide from Thor, but not from Clint. That pissed Tony off big time as he constantly ran out and Clint chuckled at that thought.

Coffee made, Clint grabbed the throw off the back of one of the coaches, carefully stepping around the large piles of notes that Banner had scattered around the coffee table before stepping through the sliding doors and onto the balcony overlooking New York City.

He loved being up here, way above the city lights, his vantage view overlooking the still-busy streets allowing him a sense of peace. Away from the busyness and confusion it gave him some peace and quiet for his scattered brain to think a little bit.

He wrapped the throw around himself and settled with his legs dangling over the edge of the balcony, holding the mug up to his face and breathing in the amazing aroma of his coffee. He was damn sure going to take advantage of Tony's ridiculous spending and made sure to put the best coffee beans on the grocery list. He munched on the ridiculously sweet pop tart and sniggered to himself at the thought of Tasha telling him he'll 'rot his teeth out' if his diet continued to consist of coffee and sugar.

Tasha.

Things had been different between the two of them since the battle, he could barely look at her without feeling the horrible sense of dread that can with the thoughts _I almost killed her._ He didn't know what he would do if that had happened and shuddered at the state-of-mind he would be in if he had. Years ago after receiving orders to eliminate the infamous Black Widow, he'd made the decision not to kill her but instead bring her in and their relationship certainly started off rocky. Their personalities crashed, hers a tightly-wound, rule abiding killing machine and his a carnie prankster who never took anything seriously. He chuckled at the memory of how one of his jokes on her had turned out.

 _'BARTON!'_

 _Her voice echoed throughout the training complex as she came storming in looking wildly around the room of new recruits that looked up at her with scared faces. When the news that the famous Black Widow was working for S.H.I.E.L.D had spread around the base, a reputation had been built up about her which made everyone wary of her besides a handful of agents. She would walk through the hallways and people would dart out of her way, too scared to look her in the eye. This didn't bother her as she preferred to be left alone anyway, people bothered her._

 _It seemed that only three people on base that were civil with her, Director Nick Fury who didn't take crap from anyone, Phil Coulson, Clint Barton's and her soon-to-be handler, and the nut bag himself._

 _Clinton Francis Barton._

 _'BARTON!'_

 _The recruits scattered out of her way as she came to stand in the centre of the room._

 _'Barton, you'd better get your freaking ass over here right this second, I know you're in here and I thought I'd let you know that I know your computer password and will not hesitate to release your internet search history to the entire base!'_

 _A creak was heard from above her and she looked up and watched and he swung from the rafters until he was hanging upside-down in front of her face._

 _'Come on now Tasha, it was only a joke, surely even in Mother Russia you know what those are.'_

 _She glared at him before lifting one of her Widow Bites to his face and blasting his face with the silly string that he'd put into them. He fell from the rafters in shock as she dowsed him from head to toe._

 _'You think this is funny?'_

 _He quickly wiped it from his face and grinned up at her, 'Yeah,'_

 _'We're supposed to be professionals, you know that I'm still on probation until the Council clears me!'_

 _'But Taaaaaasssshhhaaa!'_

 _She gave him a death stare that would've sent any other agent running but he gave her a small grin and started to retreat backwards and she advanced towards him, the other agents moving out of their path._

 _'DON'T call me Tasha!'_

 _'It was a joke! Cause you're a spider, you shoot webs? Get it? Spider webs? Black Widow? Why do I have to keep explaining this stuff to you, it's funny!'_

 _He felt his back hit the wall and his grin slowly slid from his face, and she stalked up to his face, their height difference apparent as he looked down at her slightly, but he knew that although height played in his favour, her petite body was a match for his bigger build any day, most days taking him down._

 _He suddenly felt a sense of dread as he watched her face slowly morph into an evil grin, 'What, like when I left you in your boxers tied to a pole on the roof of headquarters?'_

 _He paused for a moment before taking off towards the exit, hurdling to various equipment in his path and he heard her chasing him out of the room, 'You'll never catch me Spider!'_

 _'Watch me Hawk!'_

 _Clint laughed gleefully to himself as he dashed through the corridors of S.H.I.E.L.D, throwing apologies over his shoulder as he knocked an intern off of his feet and catapulted up the stairs in a haste to get away from his nimble companion. She swiftly kept up with him as she formulated all the different ways she could kill him, and so far? She'd thought up 94, and counting._

 _'You're getting slower Widow, what's your problem, eh? Are you too chicken that-' He slammed into something solid and was throw backwards as he slipped on some silly string on the bottom of his shoe. He groaned and felt the bruises that would surely form on his butt before glancing up to what had hit him, his face going pale._

 _The eyepatch stared down at him, the black attire he was wearing drenched with multi-coloured string, a look filled with annoyance and anger seething from him._

 _'Barton,' Fury spat out, 'My office. Now.'_

 _'Well shit.'_

They'd been partners for so long now that she was all he had left, his best friend, his partner, his- _someone_. He didn't want to go there right now and he'd suppressed his feelings this long so he could hang in there a little while longer. He couldn't wreck the only real friendship he had at the moment when he truly needed it. He only had her now that Coulson was gone.

His heart wrenched at that thought and he let his head drop forward to rest on the glass pane in front of him. Coulson was his handler, his mentor and friend, the brother that Barney never was and now, now he was gone.

He knew that Nat was hurting from Coulson's death too, as she too had no one else in the world that she was close with. Her past with the Red Room had led her to have trust issues with almost everyone and it had taken Clint years to break down the walls she held to protect herself. Their recent stay with the other Avengers in Stark Tower had been a shock for her at first and taken some getting used to, but he knew that she was trying and that was all that mattered.

The presence of the other Avengers made him feel like he was needed and that he was a part of something. Tony and Bruce had taken to themselves to lock up one of the labs and conduct wild experiments between them and constant explosions could frequently be heard around the tower, which would make Pepper growl and complain as she'd call for a clean up crew. Thor would come from Asgard every so often to visit them, requesting movie nights whenever he could as he found them fascinating. Cap would train in the gym or ride his motorbike, or trying to get updated with technology, Tony's patience quickly wearing thin at the 'incompetence of the Capsicle'. And well Natasha, she could be found either sparring with himself in the gym, reading Russian literature or stealthily pulling pranks on Stark, often aided by the person who had most recently been pissed off by the billionaire.

He knew she'd noticed his lack of sleep and she would soon bail him up about it, so he'd avoided her which only seemed to make things worse. She was his lifeline, and without her, he was slowly drowning.

The bitter cold air became too much for him and he quietly retreated back inside and closed the door softly behind him. After depositing his mug in the sink and his uneaten pop tart in the 'hiding spot', he made his way to the stairwell that lead to the bedrooms, climbing them until he reached the furthest one. He paused in the doorway of Natasha's room and silently poked his head to check up on her. He knew that sometimes her nightmares got too much for her as well and he felt it was his duty to make sure she was ok. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he took in her silent form and he slipped into her room, making sure to approach her slowly as to not wake her up. He knew that if anyone but him approached her, even in her sleep, her body would be alert and the knife that was surely under her pillow would be imbedded in their thigh. But Clint knew that even subconsciously, she didn't perceive Clint as a threat. He'd learnt from past experiences not to invade her space too quickly or her instincts would kick in.

 _Natasha was lightly dozing on the couch outside of Fury's office, having come home from a particularly bad mission, Clint's jacket draped over her. Clint had tended to her wounds and dressed them, and told her that he would handle the debriefing with Fury and Coulson, as long as she tried to get some sleep as she had been awake for almost 48 hours. At first she refused, adamant to not show any signs of weakness or vulnerability, but after they'd settled on the couch in the corridor outside of Fury's office, she'd nodded off on Clint's shoulder and he'd gently laid her down to rest._

 _They were halfway through the debriefing when they'd heard a sharp cry from just outside the door and Clint sprang up and opened the door quickly and found Natasha holding a knife to the poor analyst who'd unfortunately accidently stumbled onto Natasha's unconscious form. Just as she was about to slice the woman's neck open, Clint tackled her, rolling them both over until he'd locked her down on the ground. He finally caught the hazed look in her eyes, realising that she was having a nightmare, a particularly bad one. He barked at a fellow agent to pull the analyst out of the way as he tried to get a handle on the thrashing woman beneath him._

 _'Nat, wake up its Clint!' She struggled against him, screaming in pain as she saw the things that haunted her from her past._

 _'Fire! Make it stop!' She had started to sob and Clint was at a loss of what to do, until he saw Coulson slowly kneel down and injected the syringe in his hands into her neck. Clint felt her slowly go limp below him and after confirming that she was out cold, he released the pressure from her, sitting back on his heels and looking up at Fury and Coulson._

 _'What the hell just happened Barton?'_

 _'She's been having nightmares and refusing to take medication. I think it may be a withdrawal side-affect from the memory loss drug the Red Room had her on. It has been happening a couple of times over the past month sir.'_

 _Fury frowned, 'We need to get her to medical and get her checked up.'_

 _Clint interjected quickly, 'Sir, I think she may just need to get off base and catch up on some peaceful sleep. If we could get some time off sir, I could handle it.'_

 _'Sir, they are overdue for a week or so off duty.' Coulson added in._

 _'Fine, get her out of here and report back to me on Monday at 0900 hours.'_

 _'Will do sir.' With that, he hastily scooped her limp body up and slipped quickly through the SHIELD corridors, not wanting to draw much attention as he knew she would hate that this situation happened in public._

 _As he was walking through the car park towards his car, he heard her murmur, 'So sorry….let down.'_

 _Clint had barely known the girl for a year and could already tell that she was consumed with regret and guilt for all that she had done, and knew he couldn't make it better instantly. All he could do was help her see that she could do good and save lives like Coulson had made him realise._

 _She was barely 18 and he only knew the surface details of what her short life had entailed and it was not pretty. Exteriorly, she was a stone-faced agent who abided by the rules and killed mercilessly, but he had slowly start to see the young girl, fragile and vulnerable, that was scarred from many years of torture and manipulation, both physically and mentally._

 _Clint had been through a different life of regret and distraught, and knew that although he didn't know how to help her mentally, he could certainly help her sleep which could be the first step of recovery._

He settled himself beside her bed and took to watching her as she dreamt. Clint liked her like this, her short, curly red hair slightly tousled from rolling in her sleep and the adorable frown that even in her sleep maybe her look like a grumpy angel. He smiled as he saw that she was wearing his Rolling Stones t-shirt, the one he knew she stole even though she denied it. Her creamy skin was luminous in the soft light that hit her face, and all Clint wanted to do was kiss her worries away and hold her tight. Instead, he reached up and tucked the lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead gently before retreating from the room.

Natasha's eyes fluttered open as she saw the familiar figure slip from the room and her frown returned as she thought about what his presence meant. He'd been avoiding her for a while now and she knew he hadn't been sleeping, she was wondering when exhaustion was going to knock him out or if she was going to have to interfere.

She lifted the blanket back up around her chin and settled back into the expensive sheets, she'd worry about him when she woke up. After all, she had Tony's ass to beat the following night so she needed all the sleep she could get.

* * *

A/N: And that's the first chapter done and dusted! I've nearly finished chapter 2 so please R&R and then I'll get to updating soon!

Much love

C xx


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow this was pretty well received so I tried my best to update as soon as I could, I loved getting feedback from everyone! My other Clintasha oneshot _Just an Arrow Necklace_ also has done amazingly so that is great! I love you all and will try my best to update again as soon as I can.

I was curious, what was the reception of Laura Barton and the family from everyone? Obviously I'm Clintasha trash but I was in mixed minds, but everyone I follow on Tumblr had very varying views about them (obviously I would much prefer the family to be Natasha and Clint's but that dream got squashed so we just have to make do).

Anyway on with the chapter!

Please R & R!

* * *

'Goooooood morning angels!'

Tony was met with him teammates ignorance as he strutted like a peacock into the kitchen area. The others were situated around the kitchen tabletop, Thor munching on his pile of pop tarts, Banner slowly eating his eggs on toast as he read an academic journal, Steve cooking omelettes for everyone and Natasha pouring coffee.

Banner glanced up at his friend, 'If you expect us to answer that, get out.'

'Aww come on, it's the least you can do since you eat all my food and live in my house.'

'Forced,' Natasha point out with a dry tone, 'Forced to live in your house.'

'It's called gentle persuasion.'

'Gentle my ass.' Tony looked at looked at Steve with a dramatic aghast look.

'I won't have that kind of language on my property!'

'For goodness sake it was one time! Can't you all just let it go?'

They all snickered as Steve exclaimed in desperation.

'So Red,' Tony slying moved to stand next to Natasha, 'Where is Merida this morning? Hiding out in his nest?'

'He's in the gym.'

The team was silent as they all glanced at Natasha who was trying to act normal.

Banner spoke up, 'He's not sleeping again, is he.'

She hesitated, knowing Clint would be pissed that they were talking about this. She was growing very worried about him, knowing just what he was putting himself through, 'No. He's not.'

Bruce frowned, 'I could prescribe him some sleeping tablets-'

'They don't work on this. This is him not allowing himself to sleep. Also, he's getting nightmares.'

They were all lost in thought until Steve said, 'Can we do anything for him?'

'All we can do is try and distract him from himself until he decides that he needs my help.'

'Fine, if he doesn't want our help, so be it. In the meantime, I think we're overdue for a night of drinks.'

'HUZZAH!' Thor raised his mug to Tony and smashed it on the ground.

'Goldilocks, we've talked about this! No smashing mugs or glasses on the floorboards.'

'Sorry.' Thor looked guilty as he resumed his devouring of poptarts and orange juice.

'Back to the point, 7.00. On the patio, make sure you're there. Spidey? Make sure Legolas is there.'

Natasha glared at him as he walked out the room whistling 'It's a Small World' to himself.

Steve took it upon himself to start sweeping up the broken mug and Natasha decided to go find Clint.

* * *

After finding out from JARVIS where Clint was, she slipped into the archery range that Tony had had constructed just for Clint, which when Clint had first discovered it, he thrown the lack-lustred Widow over his shoulder and escorted her to the range, before explaining all the cool moves he could now train with in all the top-of-the-art facilitation. She had sat there for two hours, trapped in the room with Clint who kept squealing like a two-year-old and had finally ended the torture by locking Clint in the room for the rest of evening. It was safe to say that the next day, Natasha was nowhere to be found as Clint stomped around the tower, ready to enact revenge.

As she approached him, she noticed his hearing aids had been angrily thrown near the doorway and she knew that he was tired. It was only when he was tired that he got frustrated with the way his deafness affected his balance. After his incident with a particularly bad sonic explosion, which had rendered him nearly 80% deaf in both ears, they'd both taken it upon themselves to learn sign language and invest in the most efficient hearing aids on the market, with Tony and Bruce constantly finding different ways to update them to best suit Clint in the field.

She frowned, trying to decide whether he had reached the point where it was time for her to intercede. From past experience, she knew that sometimes it was best to work out hatred and pain by yourself, to fight it, but it could get to the point where you become a danger to yourself and she hoped that Clint wouldn't reach that point.

Watching him angrily shoot arrows at the holographic moving targets that Stark had designed, Natasha approached the area and Clint saw her in his peripheral vision, shooting an arrow so it sailed just beside her head. She stared him down as he breathed deeply, watching her. He dropped his bow and quiver to the floor, placed his palms on the tables beside him, his back to Natasha. She walked over to him and ran a slow hand up across his tightly knotted shoulders muscles. After gently massaging them for a couple of moments, she slowly turned him around and signed to him, _You ok now?_

 _Sort of._

 _Are you going to be a big boy and tell me really how you are_?

He was still as she studied his face for a moment and she knew he wasn't going to answer. He looked right back at her, trying to fight the pain he felt and keep a passive face, but she could see through it. She could always read him like a book, and after years of being partners had memorised every response his body gave off. She rolled her eyes and thought to herself, _males and their inability to talk about feelings._

She sighed before signing, _Stark wants everyone in the living room for drinks at 7.00._

He raised an eyebrow, _Drinks? Does he even know who he's with or who he's drinking against?_

She grinned before reaching up to slip each hearing aid on each ear, 'He has no idea, isn't this going to be fun.'

* * *

AC/DC was blaring from the system as each Avenger slowly made their way into the living room, looking with amusement onto the vast array of alcohol that filled the table.

'Welcome my friends, as you can see I have come prepared for a glorious evening.'

Banner looked wearily around the room, 'Tony I don't think this is a good idea.'

'Aww come on you guys? Why do you have to be such spoil sports?'

'Tony, I don't think having the Other Guy make an appearance whilst we are on the penthouse level is a very good idea.'

'Fine, but I'll support you if you change your mind. Cap? Thor?'

'I can't get drunk Tony, you know that.'

'Well my dear Star Spangled Cave Man, Thor has happily supplied us with some Asgardian mead for this occasion.'

Thor nodded at Steve, 'It is strong enough for the occasion my friend.'

Steve shrugged his shoulders, 'I'm in.' The two sat themselves on the couch and grabbed a glass each before Steve enquired more about the Asgardian drink, leaving Tony and Natasha facing each other, with Clint and Bruce looking on.

'Now for the remaining mere mortals, we shall have to settle with the normal stuff. So Widow, I've got some Cruisers? Maybe I can whip up a Cosmopolitan for you?'

Natasha's jaw clenched and Clint slouched down onto one of the couches in amusement and he watched Stark play right into her trap, 'What, Widow are you chicken?'

He starts clucking and she raises her eyebrow at Clint before turning back to Stark, 'What do you want Tony?'

He leant over the table, staring her down, 'You and me. Drinking competition.'

She leant on the table, face to face with Tony, 'Bring it.'

As Tony lined up the shot glasses and Natasha settled herself in front of Clint's knees, sitting cross legged and cracking her knuckles, Stark continued boasting, 'You know in college I was the best at holding my alcohol, although my friends spent more time in the lab than in the sun so that's saying something.'

Clint stifled a snort as Natasha watched Tony quietly, _Stark has no idea._

He motioned for her to pick their choice of beverage, 'Ladies choice, I may have a nice fruity drink here somewhere..'

Natasha glanced at the choices before picking the large bottle of clear liquid at the back of the pile and depositing it right in front of Stark.

He was taken aback as he read the label, 'Russian Vodka? Really?'

Natasha had an evil grin on her face, 'Let's do this.'

'Fine.'

* * *

'Oh. God.'

Tony was slouched over the table, having gotten seven shots down before promptly vomiting in the kitchen sink and had crawled back to the table. Banner and Clint were laughing at the state of the 'humble' player, watching on as Natasha continued to drink the vodka from the bottle, having discarded the shot glasses long ago. She was heavily leaning back on Clint's legs and he had to restrain himself from twirling one of her curls in his and Thor continued to drink their mead, getting lightly buzzed from the potent liquid.

'arre your insides made of metlll? Howwr're yu doin that?' Tony slurred.

Natasha smirked at him over the top of the bottle, the alcohol making her native accent lightly bleed into her speech, 'Well if you must know, as I was _born and raised_ in Russia, the winters would often get so cold that the heaters would freeze up and the only way to warm ourselves would be vodka, lots of it.'

Clint smirked, 'It's practically water to her.'

Tony narrowed his eyes before they widened, 'Yew-you two settt mi up!'

Natasha lifted her hand to high five Clint behind her who enthusiastically returned it, 'I'm afraid so.'

'Bird brains, why dyd youu not hlep mmey?'

Clint held his hands up in defense, smiling over at his partner, 'I too learnt the hard way.'

 _'So, Natalia Romanova now Natasha Romanoff. You've been at SHIELD all of what 3 months and you've already caused a shit storm.' They were currently lounging on the couch that was in Clint's 'senior agent' cabin on one of the upper SHIELD decks and were currently attending to their 'partner bonding session' that Fury had ordered the two to undergo daily after he'd assigned them partners._

 _After Natasha had arrived with Clint at SHIELD headquarters, the Council were furious at the thought of the Black Widow now joining the ranks, and Fury shut them down and said he would do what needed to be done and they backed off. Natasha was promptly told she was being watched, every move she made would be reviewed, and they finally lifted part of her probation and slipped her into the 'newbies' trainee course. This, of course, was a joke to her and within a week that consisted of acing every type of assessment and exam they could throw at her, along with her whipping every other trainee in the course (which included terrified trainees, ogling big-headed boys who thought they could get with her and the jealous ones who, at first glance, thought all this hype about the 'Black Widow' was nonsense), she was soon skipped through the junior course quickly and qualified as a senior agent, much to her delight and Clint's stubborn annoyance, as he was the previous holder of the title 'Got through the program the quickest and such' as he called it._

 _Seeing how Clint was one of the only agents to treat her like a human being and not like the devil, Fury somehow thought it would be good to partner the two together, much to the horror of said agents_

 _At first, the news of their partnership had not gone down well, with a full blown food fight occurring in the cafeteria between the highly trained assassins, which had resulted in them both being on clean up and paperwork for the next 2 weeks. Coulson had then intervened, telling them to both grow up and pull their shit together, in which they did._

 _'What can I say? I learn from the best.' She raised her beer bottle in acknowledgement to him._

 _Clint gasped dramatically and put on a Southern Belle accent, 'Oh mah goodness, was that a joke? Did the Ice Queen make a joke?'_

 _She rolled her eyes at his antics, now used to just ignoring the nicknames he now bestowed upon her every chance he could._

 _'Well bird boy, if we're going to do this, we're going to have to take the final step in our partnership.'_

 _Clint raised his eyebrow, 'Which is?'_

 _She reached around the back of the coach and retrieved the bottle of vodka, smiling evilly at him._

 _Clint smiled smugly back at her, 'You sure you're up for this?'_

 _'Are you?'_

 _'Ok, fine you asked for it.'_

 _She giggled in anticipation, and right then was when he decided that it was his favourite sound in the world and he would do whatever it would take so her could hear her laugh again._

 _The next couple hours, after they had drunken almost a bottle and half between the two of them, firstly consisted of Clint insisting they needed to dance, pulling a reluctant Natasha into the centre of the room and spinning her wildly to some modern-jive music which resulted in them both laughing hysterically. More shots later, they'd both loosened up remarkably to the extent where Natasha had persuaded Clint to let her braid his hair and them both slipping into Natasha's native Russian language, Clint being too drunk to realise that she was still practically sober and was playing him all along. Little did he know though that this was the most fun Natasha had probably had and was happy to keep the bubbly Clint amused. The Disney movie had then come out then with Clint ending up tearing up as Bambi's mother was killed on screen, Natasha looking on amused at this very…expressive side of him._

 _Finally, Clint ended up with his head in the toilet bowl, vomiting, whilst Natasha sat beside him, continuing to drink the rest of the vodka bottle, reminding him constantly of why he should never (or maybe should) do this again because she will whip his ass every time, to which he agreed._

Tony groaned and dropped his head down.

The elevator doors behind them dinged, and Pepper graciously entered the room, slowing down as she approached the group, 'What is going on here?'

'HUZZAH!' Thor raised his glass and Steve clinked his glass against it.

Tony groaned at the loud noise and Pepper moved to sit behind him and rub his shoulders.

'Well, your ever-so-humble boyfriend decided to challenge me to a drinking game.'

Pepper giggled before Tony glared at her. She looked at him pointedly, 'You thought you could outdrink a Russian spy who practically lives on vodka?'

Tony opened his mouth as if to argue, but it died on his throat and he returned to his grumpy drunken stupor.

They all laughed at his foolishness before Pepper motioned for Bruce to help her lift him up, 'Well I'm sure you've all had a lovely and eventful evening but some of us have work tomorrow, have a good night.'

'Night Pepper.' They all chorused as they watched Bruce and Pepper carry Tony up the stairs to Tony's room.

Steve stood up, brushing the lint of his pants, 'Well, I best be off to, gotta get my morning jog in.'

As he walked away, Thor scooped his hammer off the ground before addressing the agents, 'My fair Jane will be waiting for me at her abode. I shall depart.' He went onto the balcony before swinging his hammer and shooting off into the sky.

Natasha dropped the bottle onto the table before turning to Clint who's head had dropped back, resting his head on the back of the coach.

'Hey,' She nudged him gently, 'Let's get you to bed.'

He shook his head before standing up, 'I had a sleep this afternoon I'll be fine.'

She knew he was lying, but accepting his helping hand, stumbling into him a little bit, enjoying the warmth from his hands, 'You're lying.'

'And you're tipsy.'

'Am not.'

'Are too.'

She pouted before turning towards the staircase, 'Just don't beat yourself up too much. You know where to find me when you do.'

He frowned at her words, before turning to the elevator, needing to find some good music and a good workout to get his mind off of things.

* * *

Natasha woke up, groaning as her bladder forced her out of bed and into the bathroom. She glanced at herself in the mirror, wincing at the state of her hair and tried to flatten it before giving up.

After finishing her business she croaked out , 'JARVIS, what's the time?'

'It's 4:37 ma'am.'

She groaned and went to collapse in bed again but hesitated as she saw the light illuminating the hallway. She tentatively stepped outside and glanced towards Clint room, noticing the discarded sheets and the neatly-made, empty bed. She frowned, rubbing her tired eyes in weariness. It hurt her more than she'd like to admit seeing him like this, and she knew it was high time she intervene.

Making her way once again to the gym, she walked into the weights area to see Clint trying to do chin-ups. She could see his body shaking, having obviously endured a lot of work and stress. His body was pushed to the edge of exhaustion and she knew he would hurt himself if she didn't stop him. She went up to him and pulled him from the bar and he turned around to her, angry and tense.

'Tash stop it! Leave me alone!'

'So what, you can hurt yourself? And make me watch as you fall apart?'

He stood tall, towering over her in anger, anger that she knew wasn't really directed at her, 'Maybe that's what I need to do, hurt myself.'

'Clint don't do this-'

He started to back her up towards the wall, 'I deserve to fall apart! I DESERVE to be punished!'

She didn't try to fight or provoke him as her back hit the wall and he stood face to face with her, 'Clint, stop.'

He slammed his fists either side of her head, 'I KILLED ALL THOSE PEOPLE! ALL OF THEM! I WATCHED THEM DIE! AND I DID NOTHING TO STOP IT!' He was gasping as his body shuddered under the emotions that were fighting within him.

'I could have killed you Tasha. I could have, and I honestly don't know what I would do if I had.'

His eyes were closed and she could see him suppressing his sobs, she reached up to hold his face in her hands and he broke.

His body collapsed due to pure exhaustion and she caught him as he fell. She pulled him in so he was resting against her and she held him tight.

She kept silent for a long time, letting Clint get all his pent up emotions out so she could talk to him when he was calmer.

'Clint, that was not you. You can't blame yourself for what you did when Loki was controlling you because you didn't do it.'

'But-'

'No, we can talk about this later when you're well rested. Now, you're going to get some rest.'

'I can't sleep.'

She was silent for a moment before slowly moving to stand them both up. She put his arm around her shoulders before moving them to the elevator and telling JARVIS to take them to their level. As they came to the hallway, she directed them to her room.

'Nat-'

She held up her hand and motioned for him to stand near the bed. She reached up and gently took out his hearing aids and placed them on her dresser before reaching down and pulling his top off.

He tried to resort back to humour, his most common defence mechanism, 'Woah Nat, if this is what you wanted, all you had to do was ask,' he then sighed dramatically before continuing, 'but, for your sake I will put on a shirt so you don't get distracted by me.'

She grinned wryly at him before disappearing into his room and returning with a clean t-shirt. As he slipped it over his head, she pulled back her covers and pulled him to rest next to her. At first he was hesitant but she pulled him closer so his head rested on her chest.

 _Clint, can you feel my heartbeat?_ She signed.

'Yes.'

 _Good,_ She reached down and grabbed his hand and put it on one of her wrists, _Can you feel my heartbeat?_

He was quiet before he answered, 'Yes.'

She reached up to turn the light on and they were enveloped in darkness. He pulled the blanket up over them and she settled down, moving her hand so she could run her dainty fingers through his blond locks.

 _Now you'll know that I'm right here next to you, safe and sound. And also that I have you, and you have me._

He closed his eyes for the first time in weeks without feeling pain.

'Thank you.'

She paused before dropping a kiss to the top of his head, 'You're welcome.'

For the first time in weeks, he slept through the night.

* * *

A/N: So what did we think? If you see any mistakes throughout the piece please please tell me it's great to get feedback and correct my mistakes :)

 **Please R & R** it really helps!

Thank you my lovelies!

C xx


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And we're back with another update, was that 3 in a week? I can't promise I'm going to always update that fast but I'll try Thank you so much for holding in there and reviewing and giving me feedback it's really great :)

The song I put in this chapter was **My Funny Valentine- Over the Rhine** , it's a brilliant version that I just love and couldn't imagine another song for the scene.

Hope you enjoy! Please R&R!

* * *

Natasha woke up confused for a brief moment, weighed down by a heavy body. She opened her eyes and looked down the see Clint's blond mop of hair hugging her torso, lightly snoring. She smiled to herself and looked to her left to tap the small screen on her bedside table _. 9:13._

Looking back down at Clint, she lifted a hand before lightly running it through his soft hair. He tensed for a moment before relaxing into her, and she continued the gentle strokes whilst she really looked at him.

Clint was a handsome man that's for sure. A strong jawbone, cheese-grater abs and upper body muscles that would make any women's mouth water, and could definitely pull off a good suit, but what she really noticed were the smaller things. The scars across his body from countless missions, the small crinkles around his eyes that she noticed when he laughed, and his hands. She would never admit this out loud but she loved his hands. Rough from years or archery and handling rifles, his hands were coarse and calloused and gave her goose bumps whenever he ran them over her skin. They had such character to them and were large and wide, enveloping her smaller hands.

Knowing that he could still use a couple hours more sleep, she reached over to grab her 2nd edition Russian version of _Anna Karenina_ that Clint had got her for her birthday a couple of years back.

 _Natasha was annoyed. Clint had been late to their mission briefing AGAIN and had proceeded to get them both stuck doing paper work for the better part of the day. She was pissed and tired, and all she wanted to do was have a nice bath and read a good book. Unfortunately, the books she had were falling apart so she had to borrow English ones from S.H.I.E.L.D's library, which was limited._

 _Growling to herself, agents quickly got out of her way as she marched the hallways toward her room. After finally arriving, she used her thumb print to unlock the door and slammed it behind it, leaning against the cool surface and closing her eyes._

 _Pushing away from the door she went to her bed, halting at the sight of the rectangular purple-gift-wrapped present with a white bow that sat on her bed._

 _She pulled out her knife, scouting the place, checking locks and drawers for any suspicious activity, deeming that nothing had been touched before looking at the present. The perfectly folded bow looked suspiciously familiar and she set the knife down before picking the present up and sitting on the bed._

 _She carefully undid the bow, setting the pristine-clean white ribbon beside her before carefully unwrapping the gift._

 _Once unwrapped, she taken aback by what was inside. A 2_ _nd_ _edition Russian version of Anna Karenina. She felt like bursting into tears of gratitude but kept her emotions cool._

 _She leafed through the book and saw the little note fall out. Bending to retrieve it, she saw the familiar scrawl:_

 _Natasha_

 _HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know you don't know your actual birthday, only your birthday month so I decided to give you a day, 14_ _th_ _of September shall now be known as your birthday, congratulations._

 _Hope you enjoy the book, I noticed the longing glances at the library and figured something was up._

 _All yours,_

 _Clint_

 _To this day, she refuses to let Clint know how much those last three words affected her, and the fact that she still has that note, hidden for her eyes only._

Hours later, Clint shuffled in his sleep so his head turned on her stomach to face her, his tired eyes opening sleepily to see her absorbed in her book, the one he got for her. He felt his heart leap and tried to ignore it, instead smiling at her face, which was screwed up in concentration and she was biting her lip. He smiled at her and reached up gently, using his thumb to release her lip from her teeth.

She looked down at him in surprise before setting her book to the side, 'Good morning Hawk boy.'

He frowned, reading the words off of her lips, 'I told you to stop calling me that.'

She raised an amused eyebrow, 'Stop calling me Spidey then.'

'Never.'

'Fine.'

He hesitated for a moment before murmuring, 'Thank you, for last night. I really needed a good sleep.'

She smiled sadly and ran a gently hand around the back of his head, scratching his neck lightly, 'I know that simply getting over them is not an option, but you have to accept that some things are out of your control. Hell, we're dealing with monsters and magic, how are we supposed to compete with that?'

'Together.'

She rolled her eyes and swatted his arm, 'How corny.'

'You know it darlin'!'

She got serious again, 'It wasn't your fault. It may take years for you to come to terms with that, but it wasn't your fault.'

He hummed in thought and used his rough fingertips to draw patterns on the exposed skin of her stomach, sending shivers down her spine.

'Ms Romanoff, Ms Barton, a reminder that you will need to depart for the charity ball in a couple of hour's time.'

'Thank you Jarvis.' She gave him his hearing aids and made to get out of bed, but was pulled backwards.

'Where're you going?'

'Shower. It's about time we got up.'

'Can I join?' He jokingly asked.

She got up swiftly from the bed and started to make her way to the bathroom, through a seductive smirk over her shoulder that made his jaw drop and he watched as she put an extra swing of her hips in her steps until she disappeared from view.

He liked this playful side of her, that only really showed itself when they were together. He could feel the sexual tension growing between them and only time would tell for when they would both collide. He groaned at the thought.

He scrambled off the bed, shaking his head as he stealthily made his way into his room next door to change as well. He was going to need a cold shower.

* * *

'How much longer are they going to be?'

The Avengers stood in the lobby of Stark tower, waiting for Pepper and Natasha to come down from their floor. The males stood in their suits, obviously uncomfortable in their attire, itching to swap back into comfy clothes. Tony checked his watch once more before turning to Clint.

'Your girl is a bad influence on Pepper.'

'My girl? She's her own girl.'

Tony laughed, clapping a hand on Clint's shoulder, 'Sure Katniss, whatever you say.'

Thor stood still as Jane reached up to fix his bow tie, looking down at her lovingly. Even with her purple heels that matched her dress, Thor's figure towered over her and he gently pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Clint watched the two whisper to each other, oblivious to the world around them. Was that how Natasha and him looked to others around them?

At that thought the elevator doors opened to reveal the two women and the men's jaws dropped.

Pepper lead the way, looking stunning in a strapless sweet-heart neckline navy blue dress which lightly trailed the floor behind her as she walked up to the group. Her hair was twisted up into a chignon and she smiled as Tony stepped forward to meet her, kissing her lightly on the mouth and murmuring how beautiful she looked. She blushed before being escorted to the waiting car, Tony's hand guiding her. The other Avengers followed in suit but Clint was stuck still looking at his partner.

Natasha hung back but Clint couldn't stop staring, she looked exquisite. Her short curls had been pinned up into a bob and the black, long-sleeved figure-hugging dress made her legs seem to go on forever. She approached him and Clint couldn't find the right words to describe how beautiful she looked. She gave him a quick twirl and Clint internally groaned as he saw the plunging back of her dress and knew it would take all his control not to let his hands wander over her exposed skin throughout the night. She looked up at him, a heated look passing between them.

Clint struggled to keep his cool and couldn't help but think how much this reminded him of the first time he'd seen her, and the similar reaction he'd had to seeing her.

 _He took a lazy swig from the expensive glass of wine that the waiters had distributed amongst the guests, helping to get rid of the cold winter chill that the Moscow night had brought. He grimaced at the feel of his suit, hating the constricting material and the looks he was getting. He wasn't blind and wasn't modest enough to stop himself from admitting he wore it well. A life-time of training archery and fighting had given him the body of a model, but he honestly couldn't care less right now._

 _Right now he was scoping the joint for an assassin who was supposedly here to kill one of the foreign ambassadors, and without any visual clues, he had to rely on his keen vision to look for subtle clues they'd give off. He'd been approached by a couple of women who'd shown interest in him but he had to obviously decline as he was here on a mission. Thinking back, he'd never really had much success with women, always ending with a slap on the face or an awkward getaway the following morning._

 _No follow up phone calls, no dates._

 _He didn't mind too much, being a spy meant not a lot of personal time, but he preferred it that way, keeping to himself. He'd learnt from his youth to put himself first before others._

 _He glanced over at the ambassador, keeping an eye on the people around him, taking another drink. Then he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and took a double take at the woman that had just entered the room._

 _She was a beauty to behold as she descended the small staircase, escorted by one of the taller patrons. She literally took his breath away, the royal blue form-fitting dress showing her slim figure which was only highlighted by her long red curls draped over one shoulder. She muttered a small thank you to the man before gliding away from him, her dress trailing slightly behind her. He watched her approach the bar her bare shoulders elegantly leaning in to entrance the bartender for a drink. Her porcelain skin made her look like a doll and he found himself unable to tear his eyes off her._

 _She turned around and suddenly, he felt a red warning flare up somewhere in his mind as he took in her body language. She held herself like a ballerina, but he could tell from the shape of her muscles that she was far from gentile. He frowned at her as he also took in the way her body was angled towards the group of men the ambassador was talking to and watched her observe them subtly over the top of her drink. To the untrained eye it simply look as if she were looking over the hundreds of guests but he could tell she was scoping the room, and suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stood up._

 _It was her, she was the assassin._

 _He groaned and turned away from her and chugging the rest of the wine down before looking back at her and devising a plan._

 _She was acting coy and shy but at the same time positioning her body to highlight her assets, clearly working her years of seduction techniques to draw her target in, and it worked. The ambassador, a single man in his early thirties, had also had his eye drawn to her as she made her entrance and he fiddled with his drink in hand before he caught her eye. Running a hand through his hair, the man made the decision to approach her and Clint realised it was time to intervene. If her skills of seduction were anything to go by, he knew she'd have him crawling after her out of this room in under ten minutes, unaware of the lethal trap he had been lured into._

 _The ambassador was halfway across the room when Clint strode in front of him and confidently approached the women. She raised a questioning eyebrow, out of annoyance but also at the same time curiosity, and Clint didn't speak as he held his hand out to her as a suggestion for a dance. She hesitantly put her small, dainty hand in his and Clint led them onto the dance floor away from her target, who looked a little put off._

 _She said nothing as he twirled her around to move into a classic waltz position and started to move them both slowly with the music._

 _She pulled back, looking up at him with an extremely almost-believable innocent expression, 'What can I do for a handsome man such as yourself?' Her American accent was impeccable and Clint wondered what her native accent was, and who had sent her._

 _Clint narrowed his eyes and gripped her hand as a warning, 'Cut the crap, I know you're here to kill him.'_

 _The innocent look drained from her face and a delicate smirk slipped the corners of her mouth upwards, 'You caught me.'_

 _Russian, she was a god damn Russian._

 _'I should of freakin known.' He looked away in disbelief and only turned back when he felt one of her hands start to trail up and down the front of his suit._

 _'It's always nice to meet other spies in the field, even when they obviously play for the other side. Well, you're obviously not MI6 because they have better manners than you,' She looked playfully up at him, and for a moment he was worried. He got the feeling she was a lot more than the fragile woman she seemed to be playing the role of and he knew he had to be careful. 'American, hmm let me see, CIA or Homeland? No, they are too arrogant, they would come storming in with guns. No, you're something else, aren't you?' She looked up at his through her lashes._

 _He grinned down at her, 'Wouldn't you like to know?'_

 _The woman glared up at him and made to move out of his grasp but he held her tight, she was surprised momentarily by his strength._

 _'I'm afraid I can't let you leave sweetheart.'_

 _Her fake façade dropped suddenly and she looked like she was about to attack him until she glanced around and the tension in her body seemed to momentarily fade away, aware that attacking him would cause a scene and then she really would never get the chance to take out her target. She suddenly pulled them together until they were chest to chest, and he was taken by surprise. To any of the other party goers, it would simply look like the two were embracing but he was very much aware of the sharp blade pressed into his stomach, the knife seemingly having appeared from nowhere._

 _'Don't,' Her voice dripped with venom, 'Call me sweetheart.' She nicked his stomach with the tip of the blade as she carefully concealed it within the folds of her dress. The nerve of this American man send her anger in spirals and she didn't know how to respond, the Red Room had never taught her how to deal with emotions. Instead they believed they made you weak and made it a priority to remove them from their cadets to make them cold, heartless killers._

His mind was brought back to the moment and he couldn't find the right words.

'You look…. Breathtaking.' He watched her cherry red lips curve up into a gorgeous smile and she tucked her hair behind her ear before reaching out and fixing his jacket lapels.

'You're looking mighty fine yourself.' Her stomach had curled at the sight of Clint in his suit and knew she was going to make sure she wasn't caught ogling at him through the night.

He offered his arm out to her and she slid her arm through his as they followed the group in the limousine, on to the Park Plaza Hotel.

* * *

'-for donating ladies and gentlemen, your contributions will be appreciated by the thousands of people affected-'

Natasha was zoning out of Tony's speech and was instead sneaking glances at her partner sitting next to her. She could smell his aftershave, which made her want to rest her head in the crook of his neck and lay there forever. She knew that she was attracted to her partner but kept trying to tell herself that it was unacceptable for anything to happen between them, after all they were partners, nothing more. But it certainly didn't stop her from day dreaming of all the things she would do to him if she could. She crossed her legs at the thought and quickly grabbed her wine, throwing it back.

She caught Clint's eye, looking very uncomfortable as she crossed her legs again. The long slit in her dress allowed her to freely moved her legs, which were a very distracting sight. He'd glared at the various men around the room who'd taken it upon themselves to ogle at the red heads gorgeous legs. Clint could only daydream of the way they would look wrapped around his waist when- no, he couldn't think like that, especially not here. She was biting her lip again which drew his attention to her plump lips. All he wanted to do was kiss her.

Thunderous applause exploded around them and he turned, realising Tony had finished his speech. The orchestra struck up a familiar tune and he turned back to Tasha, who was staring right at him.

'Tash, are you ok?' He frowned at her.

She nodded before grabbing another glass of wine and throwing it back. He didn't even know how difficult he was making this, she was going to need a lot of wine to get through tonight.

'Ok then, well do you want to dance?' He offered his hand to her and pulled her onto the dance floor, sliding his hand on the smooth material of her dress, onto her waist and pulling her in towards her, their bodies melting into each other.

There had been so many missions that required them together dancing, but this was the first time they'd done it as themselves and they found themselves softly smiling at each other, swaying gently and looking into each other's eyes.

 _You're my funny Valentine_

 _Sweet, comic Valentine_

 _You make me smile with my heart_

 _Your looks are laughable_

 _Unphotographable_

 _Still, you're my favourite work of art_

'I love this song.' He murmured softly.

She inclined her head, looking up at him curiously, 'I didn't think this was your genre.'

He smiled, 'I tend to like classic rock I'll admit, but there are other songs here and there that I do enjoy.'

 _Is your figure less than Greek?_

 _Is your mouth a little weak?_

 _When you open it to speak,_

 _Are you smart?_

The couple swayed as the band played a version of 'My Funny Valentine' and Natasha found herself closing her eyes and resting her head in the crook of Clint's neck. His heart jumped at the familiarity and he started to hum along with the song, sending shivers down Natasha's spine.

Natasha loved it when Clint sang. He was a great singer, his voice gravelly and deep, and she had spent many nights falling asleep to the sound of him strumming his guitar gently and singing songs that made her forgo the nightmares that usually appeared. It was only recently that she had discovered that she slept better when he was around, which certainly didn't help her decision to keep her distance emotionally from him.

It didn't help that their bodies were dancing so close, and often the two of them had the ability to speak to each other via their body language. She felt safe encased in his strong arms and the skin where his hands were splayed on her lower back felt as if it were on fire, feeling the passionate knots building in her stomach.

 _Don't change a hair for me_

 _Not if you care for me_

 _Stay funny Valentine, stay_

 _Each day is Valentine's day_

He gently started to rub small circles on the skin exposed at the small of her back and she sighed gently, feeling herself relax into him, his arms warm and inviting.

These were the moments he cherished, when it was just her and him. Natasha and Clint. Their connection ran deep, even though they were polar opposites, but that was almost what made them work. She was control and he was crazy. She was thoughtful and he was impulsive. She was quiet and he was loud. She was polite and precise and he was outspoken and brass. Yin and Yang. Natasha and Clint. Clint and Natasha.

'Smile for the camera!'

'Tony!'

And just like that the spell was broken and they separated, turning to glare at the obnoxious man-child they called a friend.

'What?' He looked in confusion at the pair as Pepper shook her head and pulled Tony and his phone away from the pair to greet a few investors of Stark Industries.

The agents glanced at each other before Clint nodded his head at the bar in a questioning manner and she slipped her arm through his and pulled him to where the alcohol was at.

They didn't speak after they got their drinks and sat looking over the dance floor, watching Jane and Thor swaying as they laughed together, Bruce talking to a famous physicist and Steve had finally worked up the guts to ask his neighbour Sharon for a dance. All that was noticeably different was the way they sat closer than before, their bodies angling towards each other.

She glanced at him and caught him looking at her and held his gaze. He searched her eyes and went to say something before a loud tapping from microphone took their attention. Tony stood on the band's stage, swaying on the spot whilst holding his glass of whiskey, Pepper desperately trying to pull him down.

'Attention ladies and gentlemen! It is I again, Anthony Stark, and I would just like to say how much the Avengers has changed my life.'

Natasha's small smile dropped, 'Oh dear lord.'

'Firstly, to Bruce. You're like the other half of my brain, my crazy, hulking-'

Clint groaned and slid out of his chair, reached over the bar and grabbed an expensive bottle of wine. When the bartender went to yell at him, Clint grabbed two glasses as well, 'Look man, put it on Stark's bill.'

'-Secondly to the American Ice Man, Cap, you're the most technologically inept person I've-'

He turned to Natasha who was looking at him with an amused grin, 'Wanna get out of here?' He held out his hand to her.

She smirked, 'Please lead the way.' She took his hand with one hand and gathered her skirt up with the other. She ducked her head as he led them out, his warm hand sending chills through her body.

They snuck out the back just as they heard, 'Hey wait! I haven't even mentioned Thor yet xsfgdcywe-', Thor had covered his mouth and lifted him off the stage.

'We apologise ladies and gentlemen for the interruption.'

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it! Please R&R and I'll try my best to update soon!

C xx


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all so much for the support it is really great and I'm trying to update quickly!

This is a shorter chapter but I loved writing it so I hope you enjoy!

A song to listen to for this chapter is **Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps** by the lovely **Doris Day**

Please R&R and enjoy!

* * *

Natasha was smiling as they ran from the Park Plaza Hotel and across the road, cars honking at them as they ran into the entrance of Central Park. The summer breeze kept them cool and they slowed down, their hands never letting go.

The park lights illuminated the path softly and they were both settled in a comfortable silence. For any usual resident of New York City, Central Park was a scary place at night but for two master assassins, they knew together there was nowhere safer.

There was something about the night that made Natasha feel calm. Often, she never had to worry about anything scaring or hurting her, because she was the most dangerous out there. She felt that she could hide in the darkness and felt a sense of peace. Clint didn't mind the darkness either, but preferred the daylight so he could see all his surroundings. She would never say it out loud but he was the light to her darkness, and she knew that her mere presence made him calmer amongst the trees.

The trees above them rustled and Natasha shivered. She'd always hated feeling cold, even just a little bit because with the cold brought memories of her past, a past she'd prefer to forget. Clint stopped both of them and handed her the wine and glasses before slipping his jacket off and draping over her shoulders. Natasha went to object but Clint gave her a look and she turned her face away, trying to hide the blush from her face. Clint cocked his head, 'Did you just blush?'

Natasha scoffed, 'No.' She started to walk away, and Clint ran to catch up and appeared in front of her, walking backwards with a cheeky smirk on his face.

'Yeah you did.'

'This never happened.'

'Not a chance.'

'I've had a lot of alcohol.'

'Bah!' He barked a laugh, 'We both know you've consumed much more alcohol than this and have pulled off missions.'

Natasha rolled her eyes and shrugged his jacket closer to her body, breathing in the scent of his cologne. She could almost feel a wave of calmness wash over her and all her worries fall away, even if it was just for a little while. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful wrapped up in his suit jacket, clutching the wine and glasses.

He took them from her hands and led them to a clear patch of glass and flopped down and leant back on his forearms. Natasha bit her lip as she looked at him, the moonlight highlighting his jawline, a slight stubble building, and she gracefully knelt down and tucked her legs underneath her.

Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he ran a hand through his hair and proceeded to pop the cork off the bottle and poured them both a glass. She quietly observed him and accepted the glass from him, something about men with rolled up shirt sleeves that just instantly make them 10x hotter.

'Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you blushed, that's for my eyes only.' He murmured softly as he looked up her.

She laid down and rested her head on one of her hands, 'And I won't tell anyone how much of a corny romantic you are.'

'So you think this is romantic?' He looked at her quizzically, a hopeful look in his eyes.

She froze, realising she'd spoken those words out loud. She'd been so careful to try and hide her feelings towards him but obviously the alcohol had more of an effect on her than she realised. She paused, thinking about her next words carefully. In that brief moment she decided enough was enough. Too many times she'd fought Clint's subtle advances because she thought it would destroy them, and maybe she was right. But she would never know if she didn't try. She'd fought this for years and after all she'd been through, a part of her was telling herself that she deserved a little bit of fun and happiness.

She looked over at him, his body tense as he waited for her response.

'Perhaps.' She sent a flirty smirk over at him and watched his face goes through a series of emotions, shock, surprise, hope, joy. She knew they'd been flirting around the topic for years and they deserved a shot at happiness

She kept her eyes locked with his as she took a sip and murmured, 'Hopefully this isn't all you've got.'

She watched as his eyes widened and then his pupils dilated. A shiver ran through her as she watched him chug back the rest of his wine before dropping the empty glass on the other side of him carelessly. He looked at her hungrily and moved over to her, gently taking her glass from her hand and placing it to the side before pressing against her until he was half laying on top of her as she lay on the grass, her curly hair spread around her like a halo.

He brushed the hair from her face, taking delight in the way her breath sucked in at that simple touch. He smirked and her eyes watched him curiously and watched as he leant down excruciatingly slow and placed a hot, slow kiss on her neck, just below her ear, 'Darlin, I'm just getting started.'

She closed her eyes as she felt his hot breath on her neck, 'Shut up and kiss me.'

He chuckled before travelling his lips slowly up her neck until they were face to face, his eyes smouldered over with lust, 'Yes ma'am.'

He pressed his lips against her slowly and she moaned at the contact, feeling his arms encase her, one splayed on the curve of her back and the other trailing her neck. He kissed her with passion and she fought his dominance with equal desire, a hunger forming between the two of them. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and their tongues danced as their long repressed hunger for each other came to the surface.

After a while, they unlocked from each other until Clint's forehead rested upon hers and his hands crawled up to cradle her face, their eyes locked.

'Wow.' They were all the words she could find right now, her lips swollen and plump. Throughout her life, she'd kissed many men, mainly for the purpose of luring them in before killing them. But never had she been kissed for being her, and a part of her had always known that when her and Clint kissed it would be something else. And even then, her expectations were exceeded.

'So we're doing this for real? Together?'

'Don't you think it's about time?'

He sighed, 'I've waited for three years to do that.'

She smiled sadly, 'Sorry for making you wait.'

'It was worth it, you're worth it.'

She bit her lip before reaching up the kiss him once more and rolled them over so she could rest her head on his arm and snuggle against him, looking up at his content face staring right back at her.

'So you're a snuggler? Never would've pegged you.'

'Shut up Clinton.'

'Clinton? Really?'

'What, do you want a cute nickname instead?'

'Only if I can call you muffin.'

'Muffin? Pass.'

'Snookums?'

'No way.'

'Baby?'

'Do I look like an infant to you?'

'….no'

'Well that's settled then.'

'But-'

'No.'

'Fine.'

She smiled at their light banter and repositioned herself so she was looking up at the night sky, the distant stars clouded by the light. Never was there a moment she had ever felt more at peace than she did then, both physically and within herself. She'd finally stopped holding back, and although there were going to be repercussions, they could face them together.

He rubbed her arm gently as they both closed their eyes, content with how the evening turned out. The gentle rustling of the trees sent a calming feel over the both of them as they thought about what this meant for them.

Clint hesitated to say something before speaking up, 'Tash I just want to say this now, I lo-' He looked down at her to see she fallen asleep on his shoulder and he smiled down at her.

'Maybe another night then.' He whispered into the crown of her head before kissing it. He gently shuffled himself around until he could slip a hand behind her back and one under her knees, grabbing the wine bottle and glasses in the process and lifting her off the ground. He wasn't bothered by her petite body weight and started to walk the short distance back to Stark Tower.

He felt guilty because he knew she was worried about him and it must have left her as exhausted as he felt. Whilst the red-headed assassin looked carefree on the outside over the past few months, Clint could see the tell-tale signs that she was on edge and worried. It made him feel responsible for her, and once again it was added to the list of things he owed her.

The streets were still busy with people, it being a Friday evening, but Clint slipped aimlessly through them as his ability to avoid being noticed came into play. He felt Natasha's head loll against his shoulder and he gently hugged her closer. She gently opened her eyes to gaze up at Clint as he shifted her gently and he smiled softly down at her. She gave a small smile back before winding her arms around his neck to play with the short tufts of hair at the base of his neck. He didn't mind carrying her, instead relishing in this rare moment of intimacy. So many times he'd held her in his arms, usually when she was injured and he was carrying her to safety, so he savoured this unusual instant of relaxed closeness that the two had never really shared.

He finally reached the building, quietly humming an old jazz tune, unobtrusively calling out to Jarvis to open each door and to route the elevator to the bedroom floor. The floor was silent as the empty bedrooms were yet to be filled with the party-goers and he concluded that the others weren't home yet, which suited him just fine.

He continued to hum and she sighed, loving his deep voice which soothed her. She wasn't surprised when he walked past her room into his.

'Clint-' Her voice was quiet as she wordlessly tried to express her curiousness.

'Don't worry, I won't push you to do anything until you're ready.' He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She went to object but she kept quiet, savouring this rare moment. He smoothly entered into his room and lowered her slowly onto his (surprisingly) made bed, keeping his eyes locked onto hers, both of them hooded with something that neither of them could quite pin, was it lust? No, well yes there was lust there but this was something deeper. He stepped away from her for a brief moment to tell Jarvis to play his playlist called 'Nat', and an older, slow samba piece started to play, and he went to go retrieve his pyjamas. She smiled as she recognised the song and she was touched that he had music on his iPod for her, yet another thing Clint had surprised her with.

That was it, she'd been repressing her sexual tension all night and the thought of him shirtless just had her riled up.

Natasha caught his attention as she parted her legs slightly and whispered the lyrics along with the song, a mischievous look on her face. He raised an eyebrow at her before deciding to take the bait and moving to stand in between her legs on the edge of the bed.

He gently grazed one of his hands down her leg until he caressed her ankles, sliding her shoes off one by one, watching as she leaned back on her forearms. He stood with a smirk and moved from her to slip into his closet and emerged with one of his large flannel shirts, placing it next to her on the bed. She stood up to meet him and reached to the hem of his shirt, slowly lifting it over his head, both of them holding their intense eye contact which spoke so many silent conversations. She threw it to the side carelessly and turned around so he could undo her zipper. He stood with his chest to her back, leaning down the place soft kisses on her exposed neck as she tilted sideways, eyes closed, relishing in the feel of his lips against her skin. He leisurely undid her zipper, helping her out of her sleeves and let it drop to the floor, leaving her just in her black lacy underwear set.

She turned around to look back up at him, and bit her lip at the sight of him topless as he closed in slowly on her, standing chest to chest. Their lips centimetres apart, he reached down to retrieve the shirt to give to her for her to sleep in, but she stopped him, instead, grabbing the shirt and tossing it carelessly to the side.

He raised his eyebrow and she matched him, and suddenly the air seemed to get warm and thick between them.

He tentatively met her lips with soft touch of his lips and felt her body finally cave into his, feeling her hands trail up to wrap around his neck. He felt her legs also slide up as she hoisted herself around his hips and he groaned, wondering if she knew what this was doing to him. He trailed his hands up to hold her hips and lowered her backwards gradually onto the soft sheets of the bed, taking a moment to relish in the feeling of her body wrapped around his. He leisurely kissed her, letting her set the pace and instead focusing on exploring every part of exposed skin she would let him.

She let her head fall backwards onto the bed and they intensely stared at each other as they caught their breath. She slid her hands off him and went to remove her bra but Clint stilled her hands.

'Nat, we don't have to-'

Nat raised one of her delicate pointer fingers to his swollen lips, biting her own lip before grabbing both of his hands and guiding them to slide underneath her and he quickly made work on undoing her bra. He groaned at her acceptance and leaned down the capture her lips once again, but this time with more passion and urgency than before. Their clothes were quickly shed and they joined together in unison for the first time. It was just as intense as Natasha had imagined, and yes she had imagined. She'd always known that if they did it, it would be out of this world, because even when they weren't intimate, they knew each other inside and out and subsequently knew just what the other liked. He played her body like a harp, knowing just how to find the right spots to make her moan and deep down she knew there was no one else for her. No one knew her like this and would ever be able to elicit the same responses Clint had known from the years spent studying each other

It wasn't until the very early hours of the morning that the two fell under the sheets in exhaustion, thoroughly sated from their evenings activities, both emotionally and physically.

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A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 4! Please R&R I love hearing what you think

C xx


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm back again! Thank you all for keeping up!

I have another story that was supposed to be a oneshot (Just Another Arrow Necklace) but there was interest in me either writing up a follow up chapter or doing a sequel oneshot of sorts, do you think I should?

I loved writing this chapter, they're so cute when they're cuddly, but also when they're killing people.

Please R&R, enjoy!

* * *

He came about slowly but his body was on edge as he felt his hand being handled lightly. He kept his eyes closed and realised where he was and who was curled up against his. He gradually relaxed and breathed in the scent of her hair.

He was currently the big spoon to Natasha's little spoon, and he kept his breathing normal as he heard her lightly humming to herself as she softly traced his hand with her fingertips, drawing patterns along his skin. He smiled to himself a she turned his hand over, curling her two hands around his.

'I know you're awake.'

He hummed and drew her into him, burrowing his head into her neck. She squirmed a little bit but still held his hand between hers.

'What exactly were you doing?'

'Well you were out like a light and weren't letting me go so I had to make do, and I like your hands.'

'Why?'

'They're so interesting. They're very rough and could kill someone in a second but at the same time they're very controlled and gentle. Kinda like you actually, you're like a little lost puppy who I have to look after most days, but you can also be lethal.'

He was silent as he rotated his hand to interlock with hers before rolling her over to face him, lying face to face. They settled into a comfortable silence and he gazed back at her, their bodies entwined.

'So, we're really doing this?'

She rolled her eyes and smiled, 'Yes!'

He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips, 'Just checking.' He scooped her back up into his arms and sighed contently as she rested her head on his shoulder.

They laid there in content, enjoying each other's company. He was still partially in shock that they were together (finally) and he hesitated before asking, 'What changed?'

'Huh?' She broke out of her thoughts, her green eyes piercing into his.

'After all those times of me trying to make a move, and don't for one second deny noticing them, what made you give in?'

She frowned, taking a moment to find the right words, because it could be taken wrongly, 'I've never really done anything like this before. I've always thought feelings for others were a weakness and that it ruined companionships. The only other relationship I had turned out to be a setup by the Red Room, so I'd kind of never wanted to even go there. But then I met you.'

He wanted to make a joke but knew she was trying to open herself up to him and would shut herself up if he did, so he gave her an encouraging smile instead.

'I met you and at first you were just this really, REALLY annoying guy who was like a lost puppy following me around. But then we became partners and then slowly into friends and I'd never really had a best friend before and I really enjoyed it.' She looked down at their entwined hands that rested on his chest, 'And then one day, it clicked. It kinda registered to me that I thought of you as more than a friend and that really scared me. So I drew back, shut myself away and refused to let it go any further. And it hurt, it hurt to know that I really liked you and couldn't let myself be with you because of what the Red Room did to me, and I hated myself for that. For hurting you.' She frowned at the thought.

'Your flirting got worse,' She gave him a pointed look and he grinned down at her, 'And somehow I started to get comfortable which was dangerous territory for me. I was hesitant. But it really changed when Coulson rang me to say you were compromised. I've never been more scared in my life. It hit me that I couldn't let the Red Room dictate how I live the rest of my life, so slowly over the past month or so, the wall has been coming down, or at least I've been trying to take it down. Obviously you not sleeping and having nightmares made me not sleep either because- because I was worried about you.'

She blinked her teary eyes quickly, feeling her emotions flooding out her, desperately trying to reel them in as she hated people seeing her so weak, 'It hurt me so much to see you in pain but I knew you would be worse if I was falling apart too, so I stayed put together for you.'

'Oh Tash.' He dropped a kiss to her hair as she hugged him closer.

'So then last night, you were acting more like yourself and I was trying to hold back but then I'd had enough of hiding from you. You nearly died and we'd nearly lost our chance. I was always scared of what we could have been, when I should've been worried about what would happen if we never even got there. So, for once, I threw all caution to the wind and went for what I wanted, not what others wanted from me.'

He smiled down at her with a proud expression, watching her tenderly as she looked away, wiping her tears.

'I love you.

She whipped her head to meet his in shock, 'What?'

He grinned and reached a hand up to stroke her cheek tenderly, 'I really love you Tash. I don't care if you never say it back cause what you've just said is enough. We've both come from terrible pasts which left us in pieces, but you and me, we helped pull each other back together. We're always there for each other, we've practically already been in a relationship for years and now, now we are just admitting it out loud. I love you so much it hurts, and right now? All my dreams are coming true just by having you in my arms.'

She was silent as she searched his face intently, noting how serious he was being about his feelings, which she really appreciated considering she came from a background of people constantly manipulating her through her feelings.

'Plus we're both super-hot so everyone else is jealous of our looks together.'

She snorted at that, knowing that she should have predicted that the wise ass would lift the heaviness of their conversation at some point.

She bit her lip, gazing into his eyes, 'One step at a time I think.'

He chuckled, 'Fine by me darlin'.'

They both laid there for a moment, him holding her face in his hand as he lovingly stroked her cheek, relishing in this moment.

Clint broke from their embrace to sit up slowly, 'Jarvis what's the time?'

'8:13, sir.'

'Urgh, it's too early,' Natasha groaned and flung an arm across her eyes, 'everyone will be asleep anyway may as well find something else to do.'

Clint's eyes perked up with an idea before sliding out of bed, reaching his arms out to stretch nonchalantly, looking backwards at Natasha who'd propped herself up on one elbow.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, 'What are you doing?'

'I think I might just take a shower.' He raised an inviting eyebrow lift at her.

She got where he was going with this and she grinned slyly up at his before crawling across the bed and sliding up his body, dragging her hands up his body as she drew small patterns on his chest before letting her hands trail back down to his abs.

His eyes darkened as he watched her look over him, looking at all the scars that littered his body.

He found his voice, huskily murmuring, 'Would you like to join? You know, to save water and such.'

She smirked before kneeling up until their lips were nearly meeting and snaked her hands around to lightly scrap her nails across his back, 'You know me, I'm all about preserving water for our environment.'

He growled before grabbing her thighs until she was hitched around his waist, listening to her as she threw her head back in laughter and carried them both into his bathroom.

They entered the main room as they always did together, and made their way to where Tony was making coffee, wearing a maroon dressing gown with 'Stark' elegantly embroidered in gold across his back. Natasha rolled her eyes at his attire and continued to retrieve the necessary breakfast essentials.

'Morning.' Tony yawned out offhandedly.

'Good morning.' Clint acknowledged him before moving to stand next to Natasha and helped her get the cereal.

Tony slowly turned to the pair, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, watching as the two agents seemed to think in-sync as they fluidly collected bowls and utensils for each other, making it look like a choreographed dance.

Something had changed.

He observed them, watching as they faultlessly moved with each other until Clint relocated to one of the stools and Natasha followed him, instead jumping up to sit on the table next to him. He realised his cup was filled already and quickly scooped it up, realising Bruce was about to enter and hurriedly moved to the doorway to talk to him.

'Bruce,' He went to continue but the other man held up his hands.

'Tony we've talked about this, we can't add more nitrogen until-'

Tony rolled his eyes, 'It's not about that,' He moved out of Bruce's field of vision until they were both overlooking the kitchen area, 'Don't they seem different to you?'

Bruce frowned and tilted his head, looking at the pair at the table, 'No?'

Tony glared at his friend before turning to retreat back into his room, leaving a confused Bruce in his wake. Bruce turned back to stare at the two agents, watching them whisper to each other and saw Clint subtly run his hand along her leg. Bruce flinched, waiting for Natasha to whack him over the head but was surprised when she just smiled at him softly. He raised his eyebrow, wondering when this new development had occurred, before quietly making his way to Tony's lab, which had over time become Bruce and Tony's lab and quickly delved back into his work.

Natasha was doing drills in the gym that they all shared, a whole level dedicated to cater for their different areas of expertise. For her, she liked the gun range, but being an assassin meant you had to be skilled in multiple areas so she rotated on daggers and gun throwing, three different types of martial arts, weight-lifting, gymnastics, ballet and boxing. She personally like ballet the most because of the fluidity and gracefulness, but refused to dance in front of anyone. She felt vulnerable, mainly because the obscured memories that the Red Room had planted in her mind made her 'remember' her childhood in a prestigious Russian School. She loved to dance, but it brought a lot of pain, to think of a life she wished she could live.

After executing a circuit on the gymnastic equipment, she approached the wide mirrors that were setup next to the mass-area for sparring. She pursed her lips as she looked over herself, she looked different. She didn't know whether it was the lighting in this room but her skin had a nice glow to it and her stony expression seemed to be lighter. The memories of the previous night's activities came back to her and her bit her lip at the thought. Did Clint and her being together really have that much of an impact on her? She certainly had never felt this carefree before and was almost excited to see where their relationship would lead them.

She told Jarvis to put on her Ballet playlist, a list of classical music she'd secretly been harbouring over the years. She loved classical music, something about the way it had a different meaning for every person. For her, it was a clean slate to let her mind wander and just enjoy it.

The familiar chords of one of Rachmaninov's sonata softly echoed throughout the room and she closed her eyes. Slowly her arms started to move, her hands circling in a port de bras and then her body fluidly joined it, moving with elegance as she opened her eyes to observe her lines in the mirror.

Time seemed to pass as she moved through various exercises until she moved to the side to slip on her pointe shoes. Somehow, the artificial memories that the Red Room had given her had been proper ballet training and after a couple of months of endless nights of drills and getting used to the shoes, she was at the stage that she could remember her body being at before the brainwashing had been subsided.

She repeated the exercises en pointe, loving the way her feet drew patterns across the floor. Halfway through her exercises, she felt her senses become alert, she was being watched. Adding the odd turn in, she quickly surveyed the room, trying to find the person snooping on her. She kept her cool as she found the room empty and resumed her routine. It was only the miniscule squeak of the vent that led her to relax, knowing who it was.

She frowned to herself, was she that comfortable with Clint that she would allow him to see her in one of her most vulnerable forms. Before Clint, she'd never trusted anyone and had rarely gotten more than four hours sleep per night due to paranoia. But now, she had a safe environment and someone who could look out for her, and that scared her that her defences were starting to come down. She'd never known what it was liked to be defenceless and she was scared of that vulnerability. Clint was her vulnerability.

The song ended and she drew up out of her classical lunge before whispering to the empty room, 'I know you're there.'

It was a moment before she heard the vent door screech open and his silent movement dropped him to the ground just behind her, catching her gaze in the mirror.

'I came to find out where you were.'

She walked over to her drink bottle and took a long drink before turning to face him.

'You found me.' She gave him a smirk before dropping the bottle onto the table and slowly approached him. He stood still, observing her as she walked to meet him.

'You're beautiful.' He whispered earnestly and she felt her heart flip in her chest, and felt his hand pick up one of hers and caressed it gently.

'Why didn't you tell me you could dance?'

Her body tensed up and she felt herself start to panic, having never told anyone before. But she knew that if she was ever going to tell anyone, it'd be Clint and she had promised herself she'd try to open up to him, 'Red Room. The brainwashing they did gave me false memories of being in a ballet company. They used it to break me in, wiping me clean as a fresh slate to turn me into a heartless killer. Confusion was their key to brainwashing the group of girls I was with and we were barely conscious when they were implanting assassin instincts into our bodies. The memories made us more susceptible. Turns out they weren't real, but sometimes, I really wish they were.'

That was all he needed to know before he embraced her, curling around her tensed body, knowing how hard this was for to try and open up, 'Thank you for telling me.' The fact that she was opening up to him made him realise how hard she was trying to make them work.

Her anxious body started to relax in his embrace, realising he wasn't walking away from her and her horrible past. She'd often felt like a burden in their partnership and was only now starting to realise that he didn't care about her past. He stuck with her through thick and thin, making sure she ate and slept, just as she made sure he didn't do stupid things on missions, or throw paper planes at Fury.

'It's what we do now, isn't it? Trust each other?' She asked as she drew back to look at his face, almost quizzically.

He chuckled, 'I would hope so.'

They were silent as he took her relaxed form in, before asking, 'Ballet?'

She nodded and smiled sadly, 'It's my favourite.' She looked like she was about to cry, which from experience, Clint knew was not a good idea for either of them, so he decided it was time for a distraction.

He smiled softly before sliding off his boots and chucking them to the side, 'Frankly, it was never my style but I can try to remember how it works.'

She looked at him in shock, 'You learnt how to dance?'

He chuckled at her shocked expression, 'How else do you think I learnt how to balance so well? Back in my carnie days, we took ballet lessons every now and again to help with balancing and core control, vital for tight-rope walking. Mrs Bolshokov never liked me but sometimes I'd get the "very good little monkey",' He drawled in a thick, fake Russian accent, and took a moment to look at the cute little smile that came on her face, 'When Barney and I had just arrived, they spent a good month trying to figure out what our specialties could be before they put me with archery and Barney as a tech boy. We did everything: juggling, aerials, tight-wire, slack-wire, handstands, trapeze (that was awesome), clowning, lion tamer, it was great. But on the downside, Mrs Bolshokov thought we were too chubby and would eat too much food so she started to train us. Barney gave up and became a sort-of apprentice for one of the older back-stage people which left me in the care of the crazy Russian lady. She made me use dumbbells and run laps, it was horrible. There were three little Asian contortionists training as well and she taught us all how to dance, which mind you I hated. None of them spoke very good English, so we all got taught sign language, 'cause you're not allowed to talk during performances so that was pretty much our only form of communication. They taught us a bit of everything in the circus, which has certainly helped on missions when I've had to bust out some ballroom dancing moves.' He moved back to stand next to her, holding his hand out dramatically, 'Shall we my dear?'

She arched an eyebrow at him before chasse-ing to him, placing her hand elegantly in his hand, 'We shall.' The next song had started to play and they got lost in the moment. They would laugh together when he'd stumble over a couple of the movements but they soon got into a rhythm and she felt more alive and safe than ever. He twirled her around him and she was laughing as he comically played out how bad he really was, his eyes never leaving her as he watched her be more carefree than he'd ever seen her. Soon they slowed until they were gently swaying to a soft piano piece and she couldn't help but be completely baffled by the event that had just occurred.

She chuckled to herself, 'Ballet really isn't your thing.'

He looked at her with a fake aghast look, 'How could you say that? I'd make a beautiful ballerina, no wait that's not right. Ballet-man? Nah that's not right either, maybe-'

She silenced him with a small kiss on his lips and pulled back to see him smiling down at her.

'But you are right, for me I prefer the rumba or the tango.'

She looked at him with a dry expression and he continued, 'What? It got me all the girls.'

She raised an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes before giving in, 'Fine, no girls, but it could've worked! You know, if I didn't become an assassin and all.'

She rolled her eyes and rested her head against his broad chest, their bodies perfectly moulding against each other.

'You know,' She looked up at him with a smirk, 'You surprise me every day, and somehow, you always know the right thing to say to me.'

'Just doing my job.' He rubbed her back gently.

'Thank you for telling me about you're past too.'

He shrugged his shoulders, 'Those were my good memories of my childhood, it's what happened before the circus and at the end of my circus stint that are horrible.' She felt guilty as she watched him get lost in the horrible memories of being in an abusive family and becoming a contract assassin and knew it was her turn to help him.

'Tell me more about the circus.'

'Yes ma'am.'

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A/N: Aaand that's a wrap! Thank you all for getting this far and to all the followers you are a blessing and are what keeps me writing! I'll try and update soon!

Please R&R

C xx


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm so sorry about the delay, lots has been going on and I just wanted to make sure this chapter was right before I continued, thanks to all the reviewers you guys are amazing! Hope you like it!

Please R&R!

Chapter 6

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'So you really don't notice anything you guys?' Tony looked in bewilderment to his fellow Avengers.

'Nope.'

'Not really.'

'Are you all blind?'

'No Man of Iron, I have perfect vision I believe.'

Tony gave an exasperated look to Thor before turning to his computer and bringing up the camera feeds to the training room, becoming annoyed when it appeared the camera feed had been cut.

'Romanoff!'

Bruce rolled his eyes, 'Tony, leave them alone.'

'I just wanted to catch them out, I know somethings going on there.'

Steve cut in, 'Stark, stop it, it's none of our business.'

'Oh come oonn you guys! You can't say you're not interested!'

'Interested in what?' They all froze as they turned to the doorway to see both Clint and Natasha walking into the small living room, Clint hanging back like he knew what they were talking about and was waiting for Tony to get punched, and Natasha had a deadpanned look that Tony was scared of as he tried to cover his computer.

'Oh nothing,' Tony hastily tried to look comfortable as he nervously squirmed under her watchful eye, 'Just, you know, looking at stuff online, showing Steve the world.'

Steve gave him a dry look before truthfully speaking up, 'Tony wanted to snoop on you two.'

The room was silent save for Clint who was trying to keep from laughing.

Natasha took a deep breath and tilted her head to crack it, and moved to stride toward Stark but he scrambled out of his chair and hurdled up the stairs yelling in fear of what the assassin might do to him if she caught him, which she inevitably would.

She smirked before coolly following Tony's footsteps and the group watched her until she disappeared from view, faintly hearing her yell, 'You can run, but you can't hide Iron Ass.'

Clint frowned, 'Hey that's my nickname!'

She turned to poke her tongue out at Clint childfully before chuckling evilly as she resumed her stalking of prey.

He chuckled until he caught the three other men looking at him, 'What?'

Bruce hesitated before replying, 'So, is there something going on between the two of you?'

'What, Stark and I? Well I never kiss and tell.' He tried to avoid the topic but their silence made him break.

He sighed, 'I don't even know what's going on yet, so I don't think I can exactly name it.'

They all jumped as they heard a surprisingly girly squeal come from Tony's room and an evil cackle.

Clint smiled at that and Thor tilted his head, 'Do you care for Lady Romanoff, more than just a friend?'

Clint turned away from them and slowly made his way to the kitchen, 'Yeah I think I do.' He grabbed the orange juice from the fridge just as Natasha made an appearance on the staircase, gracefully descending them and simply smirking at the curious expressions from her teammates.

She came to stand in front of them and simply shrugged her shoulders, 'No physical harm was done.'

Bruce narrowed his eyes in curiosity before starting to make his way up the stairs, Steve and Thor hot on his heels. Natasha smiled evilly before moving to stand opposite Clint and accepting a glass of orange juice from the archer. They were silent as they sipped on their drinks before Clint asked casually, 'Knifed him by his shirt halfway up the wall?'

She smirked and caught his eye, 'And chucked a bucket of ice down his pants.'

Clint chuckled before drawing her to his side and kissing her hair, 'That's my girl.'

Jarvis interrupted their moment, 'Ms Romanoff, Mr Barton, Director Fury is requesting you both report to SHIELD headquarters for a mission debrief. He also requests you inform Captain Rogers to accompany you.'

Natasha sighed, 'Vacation is over.'

Clint frowned as they started to move to their rooms, getting ready to suit up, 'Are you saying you don't enjoy missions? I can see that happy glint you get when you snap evil guys wrists in half.'

She rolled her eyes at him before yelling up the staircase, 'Cap, you're up!'

'Good luck with that gentlemen.' Steve parted from the room, leaving Bruce and Thor to deal with the squirming billionaire who was trapped halfway up the wall, looking defeated as his pants became drenched. Tony had decided that for as long as he lived, he would one day get revenge on the Widow, and as they were about to get sent on a mission, he would have time to plan.

She was dead meat.

And he already had a fair idea how to do it.

* * *

The drive to the SHIELD base was fairly quiet, Clint driving along the busy New York streets whilst Natasha sat in the passenger, her feet resting on the dashboard, quietly humming to herself.

Steve sat in the backseat, wringing his hands and playing with the rim of his shield that rested at his feet, not as comfortable with the silence as the two agents in the front.

'So.'

Natasha rolled her head to look back at him lazily, 'Yes?'

'How's things?'

Natasha frowned, 'Good.'

'Cap, we don't have to talk all the time.' Clint cut in.

Steve frowned, 'I know, it's just awkward. And I'm kinda used to Tony's voice being white noise in the background.'

Natasha eyes lit up, 'Did you think about what I said to you?'

Steve sighed, 'I don't know if I'm ready for that yet Romanoff.'

'Why not?'

His silence spoke his answer for him, _he wasn't over Peggy yet._

Natasha hummed before speaking up, 'Well once you are, I have a lovely young woman lined up for you.'

Clint snorted, 'You're setting him up? You're his wingman?'

Natasha glared at him, 'What, do you want to do it? With you vast expanse of female friends?'

Clint glared right back at her before turning back to watch the road as Natasha smiled triumphantly.

Steve frowned, 'Did I miss something?'

Natasha faced forward but continued on, 'A year before Clint brought me into SHIELD, Coulson was telling me that Clint was lonely and tried to make friends with some of the other agents, but every time he tried to make friends with one of the junior female agents, they thought he was hitting on them and unbeknownst to Clint, he was going on dates with all these women that he assumed just wanted to catch up for a drink as buddies.'

Clint grumbled, 'It's not like I had that much experience with women, being a carnie and all. I just wanted some friends.'

Nat snickered, 'Then he recruited me, which turned all the women on base against him because they thought he and I were a thing, leaving poor little Clinton confused as to why they all suddenly weren't talking to him. On the upside though, all the guys suddenly wanted to be his best friend because he was the only one I talked to besides Coulson and Fury. Apparently, and I quote, I had the "tightest ass on base" and "everyone wanted to get a piece of it".'

Clint shrugged his shoulders, 'I was popular.'

It was Natasha's turn to snort, 'Thanks to my ass.'

'Hey! I am friendly and I have a cute ass too!'

Natasha raised an amused eyebrow at him and glanced at a bemused Steve. Clint, who'd just realised what he'd said tried to backtrack, 'Like, well I mean- I work out and stuff, you know-'

Natasha tapped his cheek lightly, 'Don't worry hot shot, I like your ass,' Steve blushed at her comment, 'Almost as much as the time when you accidently locked yourself in Fury's office and used a "no questions asked" on me which resulted in the both of us being holed up in the air vents above Fury's office for _two hours_!'

'Well I wasn't the only who locked a large portion of the male agents who, coincidently were said agents who commented on your ass, in a supply closet for three hours.'

'Are you saying I should've done it?'

'No, I enjoyed watching you get revenge on those bastards. What I didn't enjoy was having to train the newbie agents for a month as punishment.'

Natasha snickered and Clint tugged her hair, 'Cheeky.'

'Me? Never.'

'Oh really?'

Steve raised an eyebrow at the two agents continuing to banter back and forth, successfully filling the silence he hated.

'Agents, Captain.'

'Director Fury.' They all greeted him before slipping into empty chairs around the mission briefing table.

'You three have been called in to take up a mission in Russia, taking out a HYDRA base that needs to be eliminated. It shouldn't take more than three days, an in-and-out mission.'

Natasha frowned, 'If it's this easy, why are we being called in for it?'

Fury gave her a look as if to wonder why she was questioning his judgement, but she returned it with her emotionless, steady gaze and he rolled his eyes, 'Romanoff, just do it.'

She shrugged her shoulders as if to say whatever.

'You'll be leaving in the morning at 0600 hours so be at base at least 15 minutes before that. I'll leave you to wait for Agent Hill and she'll go over the details with you.'

Steve hesitated before stopping Fury in the doorway, 'Director Fury, a moment please?'

Fury nodded and followed the Captain out of the room, Clint narrowing his eyes as the pair exited the room.

'Don't even think about it.'

'But Taaasshh.'

She turned to face him, smoothly recrossing her legs and folding her arms, 'It's none of our business.'

Clint looked at her exasperatingly, 'That's exactly why I want to know!'

Natasha sighed and leaned forward until her hands rested on his upper thighs, their faces centimetres apart. Clint drew in a sharp breath and Natasha smirked evilly at him.

'Oh Clinton Francis Barton, what am I ever going to do with you?'

Clint swallowed, 'Hopefully not kill me.'

Natasha rolled her eyes before running a teasing finger up his chest, enjoying how he was simultaneously petrified and turned on, 'Why would I kill you when I can think of one other activity that would be just as beneficial?'

Just as he leaned in to kiss her, the door swung open and Clint barely had time to acknowledge Agent Hill walking in the room and turned to Natasha only to see her lounging lazily back in her own chair, looking as nonchalant as ever. Natasha smirked over at Clint who looked dishevelled and put out.

Clint glared at her before mouthing _tease_. She raised a seductive eyebrow before readjusting her legs so they were crossed on top of the table, giving Clint an excellent view of her long legs.

Steve slipped back into the room, muttering his apologies and taking his seat as Agent Hill handed them their mission briefs.

'This mission requires one upscale undercover poker night to evaluate which targets need to be acquired and taken out so SHIELD will provide each of you with a suitable outfit, the following evening, a SHIELD team led by the three of you will storm their base with the information you will acquire from the associates. This shouldn't be hard for you three so get some sleep and be prepared to come here tomorrow morning with your aliases memorised. Good Luck.'

Clint whined pitifully as the three of them exited the room, 'Suits? Why do they do this to me?'

Steve frowned, 'I feel you on that.'

They made their way through the SHIELD base and back to their car, this time Natasha slipped into the back seat, already absorbing the information on her alias, making note that she'd have to get Clint back up to date with his Russian and to try and teach Steve some of the basics. Clint started the engine and they started their trip back to the tower.

'So, does that mean I have to speak Russian? Because I can't.'

Clint snorted, 'Nah, you'll probably just pose as a visiting American friend of mine whilst Natasha parades around doing all the real work.'

'Damn straight.'

'What?'

'Really Steve? You expect the two of us to get more information out of a group of grown men with our charm versus Tash the Russian supermodel who will no doubt be in some slinky dress with lots of leg.'

'Oh don't forget the red lipstick.'

'That two.'

Steve frowned, 'I see your point.'

Natasha stuck her head into the front seat, 'Unless Steve, you would like to wear the slinky dress and seduce them for me? Because I'm all for that, I reckon you could pull it off.'

Steve rolled his eyes, 'Sure. Oh Barton, would you mind dropping me off just up here?'

Clint frowned, 'Why?'

Steve hesitated before continuing, 'Look I appreciate Stark giving me a place to stay but I think I need some time on my own to figure it all out, it's only been a couple of months and I think I need a place of my own.'

'But Cap, don't you love Stark?'

Steve rolled his eyes at Natasha's teasing antics and motioned for Clint to pull over in front of an old building, 'In your dreams. Director Fury agreed with me and set me up with one of SHIELD's safe houses for the time being. I won't be here all the time but I hate having to rely on you guys all the time.'

'I'm sure Stark doesn't mind.'

'It's more for my own sake.'

Clint shrugged his shoulders, 'Fine by me man. We'll be at the curb at 05:30.'

With that, Steve shut the door behind him and made his way to the older building.

Before Clint could even get out of the park gear, Natasha had hurdled herself into the front seat so that she was straddling his lap, 'Finally.' She pulled him into her and Clint kissed her passionately as she wound her legs around him. His hands snaked around her body and tangled themselves in her hair.

Clint loved this side of his Tasha, this impulsive and demanding side that took what she wanted, the side only he saw. _His Tasha_ , he liked the sound of that.

He broke the kiss off and sensually moved his lips to her neck, feeling her tilt her head to give him access, 'Your skin is so soft.' She moaned gently in agreement and pulled his head gently away so that they could look at each other.

'If you don't get this car moving, I'm going to do you right here right now.'

He smirked at her, 'Fine by me.'

'Clint, no.'

'Clint, yes.'

'You're incorrigible.'

'You're beautiful.'

She rolled eyes but grabbed one of his hands and sat in the passenger seat, her legs resting in his lap as she fiddled their fingers together.

'Stop that.'

'You're as beautiful as a sun-shining day.'

'The sun? Really? That's all you've got?'

'Look, I could go into it more but that would turn me on too much and I might crash the car and then we'd never be able to go home and have passionate, crazy hot sex.'

'This is true.'

'You love me though.'

She turned her head to look at him intently, taking in the his smirk and he looked over at her cheekily, and she looked down at their joined hands and brushed her thumb over his fingers, 'Maybe.'

He smiled softly at her and put the car into gear before pulling into the traffic, humming to himself:

 _I can see clearly now the rain has gone,_

 _I can see all obstacles in my way,_

 _Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind,_

 _It's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshine-shining day._

'How about we order takeaway for two tonight and go over the mission details.'

'Sounds good. Chinese?'

She grinned at him, 'Sounds good.'

* * *

A/N: And that's that! Hope you liked it, I'll try my best to update as quick as I can and try not to leave you hanging, please either PM me or review for your opinion as it really does make my day when you do.

Also, message me your tumblr names so I can follow you! Or follow me **redlippyinheels** for clintasha related content! ;)

Please R&R!

C xx


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: And we're back! I know it has been absolutely foreeeever since I've updated so I thought it was high time that I did! I'll admit I was stuck for a little while there but now I'm back :) With one of my longest chapters ever!

So I have a favour to ask, in a couple of weeks, I am lucky enough to travel to NYC (AHHHH) and will be spending a bit of time there with family and was wondering if any of you had suggestions for what I could do there and any shops (I do love vintage shops or thrift shops) that I should go to (mind you, as an Australian, I'm sure there's a lot of American brands I should have a look at). If you could review or PM me that would be fantastic as I know I can just wonder the streets and what not but I'd really rather know where to go so I don't waste time, thanks :)

Please R&R and I'll try my best to update before I leave!

* * *

'Wrong answer Clint.' She smirked as she reached down to grab her top and pulled it back over her head.

After coming home and realising that they had a lot of mission prep to process, they ordered their take out and pulled out some wine and deposited themselves in front of the fire place and decided to try and work through their mission preparation together, in a more exciting way.

'Nooo, come on Tash, I got it sort of right!' He tried to protest but to his dismay she put here top back on, leaving her in a top and her underwear set whilst sat in his boxers and socks.

Clint frowned, 'Can I count each sock individually?'

Natasha shrugged her shoulders, 'Sure, why not. You're going to lose anyway.'

Clint ate another mouthful of noodles before closing his eyes and waiting for his partner to ask him a question.

'Name, where you work, why you're there.'

'Christopher Brantom, Department of Immigration, to plant the seed in the gentlemen's minds that I could give them vital information on illegal immigrants on whom they could acquire to become apart of their KCB or Red Room programs.'

'Gold star.' Natasha grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it to Clint.

As she took a swig from her wine glass, Clint cleared his throat, 'Your turn.'

'Go.'

'Name, why you're there, backstory to reel them in.'

'Nadia Ranastova, accompany you as your disgruntled girlfriend, unhappy girlfriend of Christopher Brantom who cheats on her and works as a part time model and is looking for a new snookums.'

'You've done well young grasshopper,' Clint reached down and pulled both of his socks off of his feet, 'Just for that, you can have both of them.' He threw them at her and laughed at her screwed up face as she threw them across the room.

She leafed through his aliases background information and decided that he knew it well enough for now and they could go over the rest later on the plane trip, 'Enough of this, now we need to get you up to date on your poker face.' She got up off the floor and went to the cabinet and turned around to face him with her poker set in her hands, ' _And also touch you up on your Russian.'_

' _My Russian is good.'_ She raised an eyebrow before dropping the poker set in front of his lap before sliding into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck until they were nose to nose.

' _But not good enough.'_

 _'Are you so sure about that?'_

 _'Well you don't even look Russian so to convince them, it'll take a lot more.'_ He took a deep breath as she trailed an innocent finger up and down his chest.

 _'Well, with the right persuasion, I'm sure I could get back up to date.'_

She raised her eyebrow, ' _It could take some time.'_

' _If I'm that bad, we might need to practise my Russian all,'_ He leaned in and kissed her jawline, ' _night long.'_

She smirked, ' _Are you sure you have enough gusto to practise and um-how should I say- drill your Russian all night long?'_

Clint growled, ' _Oh honey, with you as my teacher, I'll go as long as you want.'_

She closed her eyes as his hands explored her body, finding all the different points that made her want to squirm with pleasure.

' _But seriously, what about the poker playing?'_

Clint grinned up at her before sweeping the poker set out of the way and laying her down on the ground, ' _My circus friends were notorious scammers, I know how to win a poker game with my eyes closed.'_

 _'Sure.'_

 _'Are you doubting my abilities?'_

 _'Maybe.'_ She quirked an eyebrow as he growled at her, toying with the hem of her underwear.

 _'You little shit.'_

She rolled her eyes and let his kiss her, secretly enjoying his dominance, finding herself in an unusual situation of letting someone else taking control. Of course, Clint was one of the few in the world that she would allow to compromise her and she didn't mind one bit.

* * *

'This is ridiculous.'

'Come on Cap, it's not that bad.'

The ballroom was full of the glamorous and wealthy, and the two men entered past the security details, subtly surveying their surroundings to gage what they were looking for. Steve straightened his tie nervously and looked around the room, glancing nervously at Clint who looked nonchalant as ever as he fixed one of his cufflinks.

'Cap, you gotta calm down, you look like a nervous 17-year-old at prom waiting for his date,' Clint murmured without looking at his companion.

Steve huffed, 'Easy for you to say, you actually have a purpose of being here.'

Clint smirked, 'I'm sure Fury has his reasons, for what they are I have no clue. Now, first stop, claim a spot at the bar.' The two broad shouldered men made their way through the crowd and found a vacant section of the bar in which they deposited themselves. Clint motioned the bartender over and they both ordered their drinks, and Clint ordered one for Natasha.

'Like honestly, why would Fury put me on an undercover mission? I'm pretty sure the two of you could do the job just as well?'

Clint clapped a hand on the man's shoulder, 'But we enjoy your company, and hey, we get to visit beautiful Russia in the winter time so that's always fun.'

'This is base, comm check.' Maria's smooth voice echoed in their ears. After Coulson had passed, Hill had stepped forward and accepted the spot of the Avengers liason, which meant becoming their handler on their various SHIELD missions.

'Hawkeye comm check clear.' Clint murmured before he took a sip of his drink.

'Captain comm check clear.' Steve did the same to mask his talking.

'Widow?'

'Speaking of your partner, where is she?'

'Comm check, 2, 1, 2 this is Widow.'

Clint swivelled to face the crowd with his drink, scanning the crowd before spotting her, 'Making her entrance.'

Steve followed his line of vision and stood slack jawed.

Natasha entered the ballroom the same way as her teammates, except she undoubtedly made her presence more known than they had. As she slowly made her way down the small staircase, nearly every man in the room had turned to spot the vision that had entered the room. She had pinned her long curls to one side, revealing the enticing neckline of bare, porcelain skin that she displayed, her strapless, long red dress enlightening a long slit on one side every time she took a step. A small, almost evil smirk teased her lips and she curiously looked up and around the room. To everyone else, it would seem she was taking in her surroundings and in a way she was, except she was scoping the scene for their potential HYDRA targets.

Her eyes scanned the floor until she spotted them over by the bar, and she bowed her head in mock shyness as she seemingly parted the crowd as they took her in, and finally came to stand with the her two boys at the bar.

'Christopher, darling. Did you get me a drink?' He rolled his eyes, playing his part as her disgruntled husband, aware of all the eyes that were on the pair. She innocently looked at Steve as she accepted her drink, 'Sam! Chris said that you couldn't make it back from the naval base in time, I'm so glad you're here.' She said it just loud enough that the people around them would get the gist and spread rumours amongst the other ball-goers.

She stood up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on both of Steve's cheeks before slotting beside Clint and slipping an arm through his.

Steve cleared his throat awkwardly, 'Yes, well I did and I'm here.'

Clint rolled his eyes, 'Take it easy buddy,' He threw back the rest of his whiskey before rudely shrugging off Natasha's arm and undetectably murmuring under his breath, 'Go kill 'em, babe.'

Natasha pretended to look put out and smooth out the non-existent wrinkles in her flawless dress before muttering, 'When have I not?'

Clint shrugged his shoulders and turned to get the bartenders attention again and Steve shook his head at the two of them, amazed at how they kept to their roles so effortlessly.

Steve drew a deep breath and turned away from Clint and he swore he saw a man barge his way rudely through the crowd and frowned, moving forward to investigate.

'Steve?' Clint had turned back to the soldier to see him politely making his way through the crowd and Clint groaned, muttering under his breath into his comm, 'Cap's gone, should I follow and stick to the menu?'

Natasha, who'd been eyeing their target group seductively as she flaunted her assets at one of the drink tables murmured under her breath, 'Stick to the menu, he's a grown man.'

Clint muttered profanities to himself, 'Freakin Popsicle,' and proceeded to storm out of the ballroom to go set up their spot in one of the poker rooms for their interrogation.

Natasha watched Clint storm out of the ballroom, causing a scene and rolled her eyes, 'A little melodramatic don't you think?

'Me? Melodramatic? Never.'

She resumed her fake slump, swirling her glass idly as she waited for one of the HYDRA men to approach, 'Cap, what are you doing?'

Steve gritted his teeth, 'I thought I saw a guy, he might be undercover. Trying to get through this crowd of people, mainly women.'

Clint snorted, 'Yeah good luck with that, you're kind of hard to miss.'

'Screw you Barton!'

'Captain! We've talked about your language before!'

'Oh go to hell! I'm on my way!' Steve decided to give up on his mystery man and rerouted to go to the room they'd planned on.

Meanwhile, Natasha was currently eyeing the man in front of her with hidden distaste. He reeked of cigars and vodka and was telling her about the time he once slew a bear whilst on a hunting trip. He gave off the creepy, seedy vibe too and his two henchmen were the same, looking at her body like she was a piece of meat and ogling her curves. She sighed deeply and took a tentative drink, all the while keeping up her pretence of being a wide-eyed, model who thought this overweight, middle aged man standing in front of her, and his two comrades beside him, were the most interesting people in the room.

'-and so naturally, I had the girl thrown out of the room to make room for my bear rug, she was getting a bit too old for me anyway,-' Natasha held back a growl, hearing how he treated women just made him even worse.

'Whenever you're ready Widow, room 221. Don't torture them too much.' Natasha made a mental note to herself that once they were back home, she would torture Clint for saying that over the intercoms.

Natasha bit her lip, catching the attention of all three men, 'Whilst I would be absolutely delighted to hear the rest of this,' She paused her Russian-accented, soothing voice to add emphasis, 'thrilling story, I was wondering if you three gentlemen would mind escorting me to one of the poker tables? I'm feeling incredibly lucky.' She looked up at them through her dark eyelashes and knew just by looking at their dilated pupils that she had them wrapped around her little finger.

The seedy older man cleared his throat before offering her his arm, 'Well any guy would be lucky to have such an exquisite creature like you on his arm, bringing him all the luck in the world.' She let out a fake giggle but inside was trying not to throw up, knowing that these were the type of men who took of innocent, helpless young girls and ruined their lives. She just gritted her teeth, put on a larger than life smile and led the men away from the crowded ballroom and down one of the secluded hallways.

She broke away from the man and strutted ahead of them, letting them stare at her ass for a few moments before turning to walk slowly backwards so she could talk to them, 'Now boys, we could've played in the main area but I kind of wanted a place just for us,' She trailed a finger across her collarbone and dipping low into her cleavage, successfully watching their breathing get heavier and their pants tighten, making her feel sick in disgust, 'A place with a little bit more privacy.'

The men blindly nodded in agreement and they finally reached door 221 and she sent them a seductive look over her shoulder, simultaneously receiving confirmation from both Clint and Steve that they were ready inside to knock the three men out. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, making sure all three men followed her until she could close the door behind them. Once she had closed the door, she swivelled to face the men and sauntered over to them until she had come face to face with Sergeant Seedy, as she had dubbed him.

She leaned forward until her lips were next to his ear and whispered, 'Screw you asshole.'

The man recoiled in shock, 'What?'

Before he could fully register what she had said, she lifted her hand and slammed Sergeant Seedy's face into the green billiard table, watching him crumple unconsciously in front of her. Clint and Steve both emerged from their spots to attack the two men who had charged forward towards Natasha and successfully and efficiently knocked them out.

Maria spoke up over the comms, 'Now Black Widow, please keep the torturing to a minimum, clean cut please.'

Natasha shrugged, 'Eh, I'll try my best, no promises.'

Natasha blew out a huge breath and turned to spot her reflection on the nearest surface and fix her hair whilst her teammates lifted the heavy men into chairs and zip tying the men to them.

Clint grunted, 'Are you going to help?'

Natasha raised an amused eyebrow, 'After I've done all the hard work getting them here and then spoiling it but wrecking this gorgeous dress which will mysteriously disappear after this mission and end up in my closet? No thanks.'

Clint snorted and Natasha turned to him and put her hands on her hips, 'Are you saying you wouldn't like to see me in this dress again?'

Clint stood up and swiftly moved towards her until he was right in front of her, looking down at her with hooded eyes, 'I'd much prefer it off you.'

Steve rolled his eyes at the pair, 'Oh get a room!'

'Please remember I hear everything, PG would be appreciated.' Maria responded curtly through their comms.

Natasha raised an eyebrow before moving to nudge a teasing leg in between his legs and running an excrutiatingly slow hand up his chest before reaching his neck to fix his bowtie, 'Maybe later if you're lucky.' She side stepped him just as he leaned forward to kiss her and he groaned, now trying to calm the situation between his legs as he heard her chuckling under her breath.

'Minx.'

She blew him a kiss before reaching to grab the wine cooler ice bucket that had been in the corner and remove the expensive wine inside, before she preceded the douse their captives and watched them jump in their seats as they spluttered and looked around wildly.

She stood in front of them, her hands on her hips and Clint subtly watched her in fascination, always marvelling at the way she effortlessly slipped into the role of the lethal assassin, Black Widow.

'Good evening Gentlemen. As I am sure you have now figured, we're here to kill you dumb son of a bitches. Now, we can do this the easy way and you can tell us where the HYDRA base is, or we will cut of a finger for every lie you tell. Now, I would be very disappointed if I have to do that, cause I'd rather not, but it is entirely up to you.'

The older man in the middle gave her the death stares before hacking up spit and spitting at her, which ended up on her dress, 'SHIELD scum, like we will tell you anything!'

Natasha took a deep breath and Clint shifted his body to a standby position, sensing that she had nearly lost her cool, sending a warning glance to Steve who stood behind the men.

She zeroed her piercing, murder-filled gaze onto the man and Clint saw the anger slowly start to slip into horror as he watched Natasha lean forward to the man.

'Now you've done it. Do you know, I loved this dress and now look what you've done, you've ruined it. I was prepared to be civil but it looks like that's not gonna happen is it?' Without hesitating, she slipped a stealthy hand up her skirt, retrieving a knife from her garter and bringing it down to slice the man's thumb off, sending a spray of blood onto his face as he howled in pain.

The two other men flinched at the sound of their boss wailing in pain and watched her crouch down in front of the shaking man, twirling the blood covered knife in her hand, 'Now let's try that again, where is it?'

The man smiled up at her evilly, his body shaking in pain, 'Hail HYDRA!'

Without hesitation, she stood up and grabbed the man's head and twisted it to an unnatural angle with a crunch. Steve took a step back in horror and the two other captive men recoiled in shock at the unnaturally slumped head of their former boss, turning slowly to face the terrifying woman in front of them. She smiled at them, and they knew now her threats weren't empty, looking at her in a different light now.

'Now boys, I don't want to have a repeat performance so make it easy for me.'

Natasha could sense the man on her right was close to breaking and she leaned closer to him, the man trying desperately to shuffle away from her. She ran a tantalising hand along his jawline, 'Would you happen to know where it is?'

'Maybe?' He stuttered out nervously.

'Sivakov!' Natasha's head flashed to the other guy, only to see the man bite down hard on one of his back teeth and Natasha moved quickly to try and remove the poison false tooth from his mouth but she was too late. She watched the man's mouth start to fill with poisonous foam, clogging the mans airway as he smiled wickedly at her and choked out, 'Hail HYDRA,' because his body collapsed back into the chair. Natasha swiftly went back to the other and jammed one of the guns front her garter into his mouth before he had the chance to follow his fellow HYDRA agent, 'Not so fast.'

The man frowned at her and she moved the gun over so she could reach her nimble fingers into his mouth to withdraw the false back left ulcer and he exclaimed in pain as she yanked it out of his mouth, causing it to bleed. She removed the gun and wiped the remnants onto her already dirty dress and turned back to the man whose face showed how cornered he felt.

She shrugged her shoulders, 'Help a girl out, I don't want to chop off fingers. If this goes down well, we can take you back with us and instead of killing you, it'll just be a life prison sentence.'

The man frowned, weighing his options before sighing.

'The outskirts of the Cheremushki district, the old abandoned mining complex, it's all barricaded off, you'll find them there.' Natasha smiled with success and turned to Clint who stood with his arms crossed, 'Less than five minutes, didn't I tell you?'

He rolled his eyes and pushed off the table to come to stand next to her and look down at the guy, 'So what do we do now?'

'Well, hopefully he knows that when we leave this room, if he makes even one little sound, I'll kill him.' She shot the terrified man a withering look and he nodded enthusiastically.

She grabbed her shawl off the nearby table once Clint had cut the zip tie at the mans feet and draped it over his bound wrists, 'No funny business, otherwise Hawkeye will shoot a bullet in between your eyes, got it?'

With that, the four of them exited the room and walked quickly along the passageway, Natasha having looped her arm through their captives arm to make it seem less obvious.

Making their way back into the ballroom, they realised they had to move through the crowd to exit the building and Clint led the way, parting the groups to let the troupe through, with Steve following behind the pair.

They were about halfway when a man barged his way through the crowd and before Clint of Natasha could register, he whipped out a gun fluidly and shot their captive straight in between the eyes, sending a blood spatter all over the other guests.

The gun shot echoed throughout the ballroom, sending the whole place into a frenzy as the unknown man ran deftly from the room. Steve shot up and barged after the man, leaving Clint and Natasha to assess the situation.

'HYDRA?' Clint crouched next to Natasha who was removing her jacket and all evidence of SHIELD's involvement.

'I believe so.'

'Killed him to shut him up?'

'Yes, I think the hit man was a backup, trailing them.'

Maria made herself know, 'Both of you get out of there and back to the safe house.'

Clint pressed his hand to his ear, trying to block out the screaming around him as people exited as quickly as they could, 'Cap! How's things?'

Steve was currently pushing through the crowds to spot the hit man, 'Just swell Hawkeye!'

Clint pulled Natasha to her feet, 'Well, when you have a chance, we'll meet you two blocks west with the car, we'll bring it around.' He slung a protective arm around her shoulders and they both slipped into the crowd, effectively disappearing as simply another couple frightened by the shooting, and making their way through the exit as police passed by them on their way out.

'Roger!'

Steve had followed the unknown man through the crowd, the man's retreating figure leading him into another room. Steve frowned, noting that the man was quick, too quick for a normal man and hurdled a table to try and keep up with him .The man in question turned quickly to survey the room before exiting quickly through one of the side doors, leaving Steve to stand there, shell-shocked and confused. The brief glimpse of the man's had frozen Steve on the spot, trying to comprehend if what he'd seen was real, _could it be him? But he was dead!_

Steve realised that he had let the man escape and cursed, before realising if he stood there any longer the police would catch him for questioning, which would lead to disaster.

He shook his head, telling himself that it wasn't possible, and quickly followed the other patrons out the nearest exit and onto the cold streets of the Russian winter.

He quickly scanned the busy streets and just spotted the man jump onto the back of an oblivious truck driver as it rounded the corner, out of sight.

Steve took a deep breath and rubbed his face with a tired hand before comming in, 'I lost him.'

'You WHAT?!' Maria sounded incredulous, finding it hard to believe the superhuman soldier could lose track of a man.

Steve sighed, 'He got away.'

There was silence on the comms as the other three people tried to comprehend what had happened, 'Ok,' Clint's breathy voice came in, the winter air giving him chills, 'Well we'll pick you up on the way.'

After they picked him up, they took a long-winded route back to the safe house in silence, trying to comprehend what had happened that evening. As the three of them trudged up the small staircase and to the landing, Natasha shrugged Clint's jacket of her shoulders and gave him a warm smile as she graciously handed it back to him.

They opened the door to find Maria nervously pacing the floor and watched her swivel on her heels to face the three of them.

'What the hell happened tonight?'

Natasha brushed past her, 'Got the information, we can scope out the place tomorrow.' She yawned and made her way into their shared bathroom.

Clint stretched his arms and slid his coat off, 'Well, we killed two out of three thugs and got the location so yay, but then a HYDRA assassin came and killed the last one so boo.'

Maria ignored Clint and turned to Steve who was very quiet as he politely hung up his jacket on the coat stand, before he turned back to Maria, 'I thought I saw a man I once knew, but it couldn't be.' His face set in a frown as he moved slowly passed her to where his room was.

Maria blew out an annoyed breath and shouted out after them, 'I expect mission reports by tomorrow noon!'

All she got was groans in response.

* * *

A/N: And that's that! I'll try my best to update before I leave otherwise I will just gun out like 5 chapters and post them in concession when I get back!

Please R&R!

C xx


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